


Cornered

by YadonushiRyou



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angstshipping - Freeform, Blood and Violence, Dealing with PTSD, Gen, M/M, Mystery, PTSD, Private Investigators, Yeah this is an angsty one, bakura is a serial killer i think, tendershipping but one sided
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26681557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YadonushiRyou/pseuds/YadonushiRyou
Summary: Life is different for Private Investigator Ryou after a too close encounter with a maniacal killer. Ryou has to deal with physical and mental scars, navigating through life only to find that he can’t forget Bakura as easily as he would have liked. His partner Malik tries to help him along the way, but things between them are much different than they used to be, causing tension in their close relationship. Meanwhile, time is running out when it seems the killer on the loose has already chosen his next victim.
Relationships: Bakura Ryou/Marik Ishtar, Bakura Ryou/Yami Bakura
Comments: 25
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back w/ another multichapter fic.. haha...
> 
> Anyways I was hesitant to post this one but I got some good feedback from a lot of people so I hope this one is enjoyable for all you creepy mystery/true crime fans out there. Thanks for sticking with me!

The cool, autumn breeze was welcoming. The sun was shining and birds were singing, greeting the day with cheerful chirps. Cars whizzed by on the road, no doubt carrying the many people who were off to work or school.

Ryou would be doing the same.

He exited his apartment building and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked to the parking lot. It had been a while since he’d driven, but he had practiced the day before just to make sure he still had the hang of it.

Ryou’s routine had always consisted of leaving his apartment an hour earlier than he needed to. He liked to take his time, to enjoy the ride to work and maybe even get started a little early.

Today, he made sure to be early because he knew there would be something waiting for him.

The investigator firm he worked at was small, only consisting of a few lawyers and two private investigators. The two private investigators consisted of himself and his old friend Malik. 

Ryou smiled when he got into his car, looking forward to seeing Malik again.

Malik had been with him the whole time, of course, helping him get back on his feet and whatnot, but Ryou was eager to see him in a setting he was used to. 

Ryou was eager to get back to normalcy. At least, as normal as his job offered.

Malik had told him to expect a warm welcome. He also told him some close friends from the police department would be there as well. Ryou was uncomfortable with making his comeback a spectacle, but he didn’t think there’d be much he could do to stop it.

Ryou pulled out of the lot and set on a familiar route, one he hadn’t taken in quite a while. He flipped the switch on the radio and hummed along to a tune he barely knew.

Absentmindedly, he nibbled on his bottom lip, focusing on the road in front of him. His right hand gripped the top of the steering wheel while his left rested idly on the bottom. Driving had been a difficult task to relearn, but with Malik’s help and patience, Ryou managed to find a comfortable, yet functional position.

It didn’t feel like it at first, but Ryou had to relearn a lot of things before today. It felt something akin to training for the olympics-- Only he was training to integrate himself back into society.

Even after all the ‘training,’ though, Ryou still had some trouble fitting in.

Shaking hands, hugs, mundane tasks like eating, drinking, and preparing his own meals.

Ryou didn’t like to think about the trouble he went through, the trouble he put Malik through, to get to today. It made him feel guilty, like he should have been able to do it by himself.

Well, Ryou was sure he wouldn’t be doing much by himself. Not anymore.

When he arrived at the office building, Ryou was surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot. He was thankful to have his own space reserved, but was uncomfortable with the thought of how many people would be interacting with him.

As his anxiety increased, starting in his chest and buzzing throughout his whole body, Ryou started to feel sick.

He pulled into his spot, turned off the car, and took a moment to embrace the absolute silence. When he leaned forward to check the front door of the building, he saw a group of people standing with cameras.

Ryou frowned. He thought the welcoming would be small, but it seemed this was out of Malik’s control.

Ryou thought about his options. Going inside alone might be tough, especially if he was going to be asked questions.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and started to type out a message. 

_Can you come outside?_

His finger idly tapped the side of his phone as Ryou stared down at it. The silence was starting to become overwhelming. Guilt gathered in his gut and he made a quick decision.

Letting out a sigh, Ryou stuck his phone back into the pocket of his pants and gathered his things: Keys, shoulder bag, and a brown paper sack containing his lunch.

Ryou stepped out of his car and locked the doors, accidentally pressing the button twice. The car beeped, indicating it was locked, but it gained the attention of the people with the cameras.

The group turned their heads at the same time, eyeing Ryou like helpless prey, and all at once sprinted over to him. 

“Mr. Touzoku! Mr. Touzoku!”

“How are you feeling?”

“Are you okay to go back to such a mentally demanding job?”

“How did you survive?”

“Where is he now?”

Ryou’s ears heard every word, comprehending them. He had answers to every question, but didn’t say them out loud. Instead he stood, staring dumbfoundedly at the reporters. 

“I-“

He didn’t want to talk. Ryou didn’t want to say anything. What was he supposed to tell them?.

Ryou started to sweat, and he backed away from the reporters, the flashes of the cameras taking him off guard.

“Ryou!”

Ryou’s head turned in the direction of the familiar voice and he saw Malik running toward him. He pushed past the reporters and carefully placed his arm around Ryou’s shoulders, leading him into the building.

The reporters followed them like ducklings. They kept shouting questions, taking pictures, asking for Ryou to provide them with information they didn’t deserve to know.

It felt like an eternity before they got to the front. Malik opened up the large, glass door and gently pushed Ryou inside the building, practically warding off the persistent reporters so that one of them wouldn’t sneak inside.

“No further questions,” Malik said bluntly, slamming the door shut and locking it as he glared at the group.

“Nosey bastards,” he mumbled, turning his attention to Ryou now, greeting him with a worried smile. 

“Good to see you, Ryou.”

Ryou nodded his head, offering Malik a small smile of his own. He didn’t like it when Malik looked at him like that. Ryou wished he’d go back to normal, too.

“Sorry about all the fuss,” Malik continued, resuming his walk and leading Ryou to the linoleum stairs that led up to their office space. “Word got out. It’s impossible to keep them away. Everything should be okay upstairs, though.”

Ryou adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag, letting out a sigh of relief. So far he felt ok. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Although, it wasn’t fair comparing this to _that._

That. 

That.

Ryou blinked a few times, suddenly finding himself at the top of the stairs even though he didn’t remember climbing them.

“Here we are,” Malik hummed. “Old reliable.”

Ryou looked up at the wooden door, reconnecting with the present moment. He smiled at the frosted glass, reading the painted lettering.

_Touzoku & Ishtar_  
_Private Investigators_

He hadn’t seen that sign in so long. Ryou raised a sweaty hand, lightly tracing the lettering with his fingers.

“I missed you,” Malik murmured, gently placing his hand on Ryou’s shoulder.

Ryou slowly nodded, turning to Malik as a smile tugged at the side of his mouth. He leaned into his partner, loosely wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

Malik didn’t wrap his arms around him, but rather allowed Ryou to show his affection.

When he was done, Ryou stepped back and gave Malik a wink, indicating he was ready.

Malik snorted and playfully rolled his eyes as he grasped the shiny golden knob on the door, pushing it open.

As Ryou walked inside, he was greeted by familiar faces.

They seemed hesitant, though. There was a long stretch of silence, the small crowd just staring at Ryou with what he could tell were forced smiles. Ryou mirrored them, raising a shy hand as an attempt to wave.

“Welcome back Touzoku!”

Ryou recognized the voice as Katsuya Jonouchi, a member of the law firm they shared the office space with. He smiled for real, thankful that he started the welcome which allowed for everyone else to feel comfortable doing theirs.

Ryou moved forward, heading to his office past the lobby/waiting area and at the end of the hall. It seemed like a journey, and it would be.

Ryou walked past his coworkers, smiling politely at them as they stared at him. He lightly shook the hands that were offered to him, and waved to those that weren’t.

Still, he was quiet, and he wasn’t exactly sure if he was supposed to mingle in the lobby. Either way, Ryou didn’t care. He wanted to go to his office. Even though the day just started, he felt like he needed a break.

He clutched his paper bag in his left hand, but the nerves didn’t work like they used to. His fingers spasmed and he dropped the bag, some of the contents spilling out. Ryou, if he didn’t already feel eyes on him before, certainly knew they would be on him now. Nervously, he licked his lips, bending down to pick up the mandarin orange that rolled away, but Malik beat him to it. Katsuya, as he was known, picked up the yogurt cup that fell out of the bag as well.

Awkwardly, Ryou held out his bag to his colleagues and they dropped the items back in.

By then, it was already too much.

Ryou nodded his thanks and started to briskly walk down the hall to his office, not caring anymore whether or not it was rude to walk away from the group.

He fiddled with his keys, balancing his paper bag in his arm as he desperately attempted to use his stiff, unmoving left hand to aid him in unlocking the door.

The atmosphere became very quiet. All he could hear was his keys clinking together. When he finally got the door open, he held his breath and slipped inside. He made sure not to slam it or give any indication of emotion. Lightly, he shut it, leaning his back against it as he relaxed.

A long, heavy breath escaped him.

Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Coming back didn’t feel too soon, though. In fact, it felt like an eternity, but Malik had also been surprised when Ryou made the decision to come back into work.

Ryou took a look at his office. It was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Malik had cleaned it, he concluded, after seeing the clean desk, the paper-free wooden floor, and the empty bulletin board in the back.

Malik must have done quite the clean up while he was gone. The last time Ryou saw his office it was in disarray. HIs desk used to be littered with papers. File folder stacked upon file folder. Ryou smiled at the fond memory of Malik making fun of him once because he could no longer see him sitting at his desk, the papers were stacked so high.

The bulletin board in the back was at one point littered with pictures and news articles, post-it notes and red string. It might have looked unorganized to the outsider, but Ryou knew what it all meant. He only used it for big cases. Any sign of the last case he worked on was gone.

Ryou frowned.

At first it was sad, disappointed, even. He’d never lost a case. He’d never let one go unsolved. His frown turned into a scowl.

Finally moving away from the door, Ryou walked over to his desk and set his things down, plopping himself into an inexpensive leather chair behind an equally inexpensive desk.

He still scowled for a moment, glaring at his clean desk as if it alone was the reason for his leave of absence.

Slowly, the muscles in his face relaxed and he found himself enjoying the quiet, private space.

It was nice for a moment, but he could never sit for too long. Not anymore.

Ryou stood, groaning in annoyance at himself.

He began to pace. The day had only just started, but already he was overwhelmed.

It was demeaning the way everyone had looked at him. At the same time, though, it was unfair of him to be upset. Ryou knew they didn't mean it. They didn’t mean to look so pitiful, to express their guilt through their smiles.

He started to grind his teeth, refraining from making a growl or anything close to some kind of sound. His voice felt foreign as if he shouldn’t be able to speak. In a way, Ryou supposed he shouldn’t, but he could. At least he still had that.

Even so, talking wasn’t easy. He used to love to talk. He loved discussing a case, he loved chiming in, laughing at jokes, and telling jokes, even if they weren’t funny.

Now, Ryou hated the sound of his voice, or rather lack thereof. It was softer and hesitant, and even if Ryou tried to be more assertive, it was as if his brain had programmed itself to remain reserved. It was hard to get words out without stuttering or stammering on occasion and Ryou preferred to avoid talking in case he happened to stumble over his words.

It wasn’t the fact that it was happening, but the shame lied in why it was happening.

It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, everything he said or did had associations with that. With him.

 _Him._ _Him._ _Him._

There was a knock at the door.

“Ryou?” Malik called out, “I have coffee and donuts for you. Vanilla latte and your first pick.”

Ryou, who had been pacing back and forth next to his desk, stopped. He looked at the door, squinting at it. Telling Malik to go away wasn’t a very good option considering he had just begun the work day.

Sighing, he walked to the door, opening it just enough to poke his head through.

“Hi,” Malik said, raising a brow at Ryou’s reluctance to open the door. “Um.. Can I come in?”

Ryou looked at Malik before darting his eyes left then right, checking the surroundings. The hall was empty and, indeed, it was only Malik.

Ryou opened up the door, allowing Malik to enter and closing it once he was inside.

Malik sauntered to Ryou’s desk, setting down the coffee and donuts before turning to his friend.

“I know you hate it when I say this,” Malik began, looking regretful as Ryou narrowed his eyes at him in anticipation of where the conversation was going, “but are you okay? This was a lot. I’m sorry.”

Ryou swallowed, thinking about his answer carefully before responding.

Was he ok?

Ryou opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it in favor of shaking his head. He looked away from Malik shamefully, turning his back to him.

Malik frowned, but he didn’t move from his spot.

“What’s going on? We can take you back home if you need to. I’ll sneak you out the back.”

Ryou didn’t move. He stared at the wooden floor, wiggling his toes in his sneakers. Malik always made fun of him for wearing sneakers with his suit, but Ryou liked to be comfortable.

“Ryou,” Malik tried again, cautiously walking closer to Ryou until he stood next to him, following his eyes to look at the same warped hole in the old wooden floor.

“Are you thinking?” He asked.

Ryou nodded.

“Alright. I’ll think, too.”

Malik stood with Ryou quietly, simply waiting until Ryou was ready to move, talk, or do something else.

Ryou’s eyes shifted to look at Malik’s shoes, making their way up the length of his body until they were looking at each other.

Now was as good a time as any to ask a pressing question, one that Ryou had been thinking about ever since he longed to go back to work.

“Do-” Ryou paused, taking a moment to swallow in hopes that he wouldn’t stutter when he tried again.

“Did you take the case?” He asked, feeling more confident once it was out.

Malik raised a brow, looking surprised. “The case?” He frowned, clearly not wanting to discuss it now, but Ryou kept staring at him, expecting an answer.

Malik nodded, tearing his eyes away from Ryou for he knew he didn’t have the answer he would want to hear. “Yes and no. I’m waiting for the PD to give me permission to transfer it over to them.”

Ryou licked his lips as he nodded. “I see.”

He walked past Malik and back to his chair, lazily dropping himself down into it.

“Don’t be like that,” Malik said, following Ryou and sitting in one of the two chairs that sat on the other side of his desk. “You know why. I promise you, I won’t even touch it until I can make the transfer. It’s not a one man job.”

Ryou looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap, pressing his lips into a thin line.

“What?” Malik said, noticing Ryou’s mannerisms. “You can say what you want. I think you of all people deserve to say what’s on your mind when it comes to talking about this.”

Ryou idly traced his fingers over the large, webbed scar that took up the entirety of his left hand, feeling the difference between the scarring on the top and the scarring in the palm.

“I just don’t see the point,” He mumbled, knowing that Malik wasn’t going to be happy with what he had to say. “I’m back. I recovered. I can find him again. I--”

“Ryou-” Malik held the bridge of his nose in annoyance, “You know that’s not an option. You know you can’t do that.”

“I don’t see why I couldn’t,” Ryou argued, though his tone wasn’t as aggressive or loud as he would have wanted it to be. “I had all of the evidence, the patterns, the maps. I-I could do it!”

Malik stood up, narrowing his eyes at Ryou, but he couldn’t hold it for long. That was what bothered Ryou the most.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, Touzoku Ryou, but you’re not supposed to be alive right now.”

Ryou looked up at Malik with his arms crossed at his chest, his eyes giving the impression that they were undeterred by Malik’s argument. 

But what he felt was quite the opposite.

It stung. Malik might as well have smacked Ryou in the face.

“Well then,” Ryou forced the corners of his mouth upward into what he thought looked like a sly smile, but really he looked sad. “That should prove how important this case is to me.”

Malik squinted, but his anger quickly subsided as he let out a sigh. He shook his head, his eyelids closing for he just couldn’t look at Ryou anymore. 

“I’ll think about it,” he offered with a sigh, “but no promises.”

Ryou, satisfied with that answer, nodded his head before reaching for the latte Malik had placed on his desk. 

He took a sip, and by then the tense energy in the room was beginning to subside.

“So,” Ryou began, looking innocently from behind his cup, “Got any work for me?”

Malik tilted his head to the side, his eyes rolling back as an exasperated smile crept on his face.

“Yeah, yeah, you workaholic. Give me a sec. I’ll get the files from my office.”

Ryou sipped his coffee as he watched Malik leave the room, getting ready to utilize the small window of alone time.

He frowned when Malik closed the door behind himself, letting out a shaky sigh as he set his coffee down. He lay his head down on his desk, resting his head on his right forearm with his left outstretched over the desk. He stared at his left hand, studying the scar again as he tried to move his fingers. It was weird not seeing them move on command. Ryou wondered how much harder working would be without full range of motion.

Ryou’s eyes glazed over for a moment as he stared. His breathing became labored.

He couldn’t move. His limbs were stiff, his neck was hurting. The room was dark, huge, empty. He could hear himself breathing, but then he heard footsteps. Agonizingly slow, purposefully circling around in a place Ryou couldn’t see. He shifted in the creaky, wooden chair, turning his wrists and tugging at the tape that pinned them to hard armrests. The closer the footsteps came, the more Ryou started to fidget. He tensed when a hand rested on his shoulder, gliding across from one side to the other. _What happened to my strong, brave detective?_ Ryou watched the long, black gloved hand move from his shoulder to his face, lightly tracing the tape that covered his mouth. Ryou swallowed, tilting his head away from the touch, but he could only go so far. _Now, now. Don’t be so distant. I thought we’ve been having fun all this time._ When the hand moved away, Ryou kept his eyes on it, watching its movements carefully, cautiously. _You have nice hands, Investigator._ The hand trailed down Ryou’s left arm, moving over every wrinkle in the fabric of his sleeve. _People often take them for granted. Hands, that is. What do you use your hands for?_ The hand, light and feathery, tickled the top of Ryou’s as Ryou kept it deadly still. He looked up, daring to look into deadly garnet eyes. _Hm? What do you use them for? Writing? Art? Fighting? Holding that lovely little gun of yours?_ A knife was brandished in front of Ryou’s face, one he hadn’t seen due to his attention on the hand fiddling with his own. Ryou started to squirm again, making distressed grunts and moans. He suddenly felt heat on his face, breath tickling his ear and the sharp tip of the knife just barely touching the skin of his hand. _It wasn’t very nice of you to shoot at me. I’m not sure I can forgive you for that, my little investigator._

“Ryou?”

Ryou immediately sat up, quite ungracefully, as he looked up at the door. His arm swiped across his desk, sending his coffee flying a few feet behind him before it splattered onto the floor.

Ryou stared at it, then looked up at Malik, his mouth trying to form words like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘What happened?’

“Oh no!” Malik quickly set the files down on Ryou’s desk before leaving again to find something to clean the mess with.

Ryou still sat in his chair, pressing his hand to his face and lightly pinching his cheek.

He was here. In his office.

“I spilled,” He said out loud, wanting to hear his voice if only to make sure he was able to talk, to think, to act.

Malik came back into the office with a roll of paper towels and quickly soaked up the liquid that was quickly spreading across the floor.

Ryou stood, but he only watched Malik, not quite comprehending the idea of helping him because he was still studying his surroundings.

“S-Sorry,” Ryou mumbled finally, handing Malik another paper towel when it looked like he needed one.

“It’s okay. It was an accident.”

Malik cleaned the mess and picked up the trash, holding it in his hands as he looked at Ryou, staying quiet a moment.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” He said, lowering his voice. Ryou shook his head, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in irritation.

Malik’s caution and carefulness was already annoying and Ryou had hoped that maybe he’d act differently now that they were at work. It seemed that he was wrong.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to say that,” Ryou waved his hand dismissively, picking up the small trash can that sat next to his desk. “I’m fine. Just eager to see what you have for me.”

Malik’s expression was wary, but he didn’t press on. He tossed the trash away and moved on, rubbing his hands on his pants before picking up the files he’d brought for Ryou.

“I think it’s better to start small.” Malik opened up one of the folders and presented it to Ryou. “Paperwork you never finished since you left!” He excitedly announced, grinning at his less than excited colleague.

Ryou lidded his eyes, unimpressed with Malik’s not so funny joke. That is, he desperately hoped he was joking.

“Very funny,” He deadpanned, swiping the folder out of Malik’s hand to have a look at it. “What?! This one’s from almost two years ago!” Ryou squinted at the paper reading through the description of the case and the outcome, recalling it quite well.

“Are you sure I didn’t finish this?”

“Positive. You’ve got quite the pile, my procrastinating friend,” Malik assured, taking the folder back and closing it up before adding it to the pile on Ryou’s desk. “I think now is as good a time as any to get caught up.”

Before leaving again, Malik gently nudged Ryou’s arm and gave him a wink. Ryou groaned, moving to sit back down and laying on his desk once Malik shut the door again.

“Paperwork,” He mumbled, peeking up at the stack of papers perched upon his desk.

It was certainly going to be a long first day.

…

“It was nice seeing you, Touzoku,” Katsuya chimed as Ryou locked the door to his office.

It wasn’t too late in the evening compared to times when Ryou would stay at the office until ungodly hours of the night, writing, thinking, pacing, obsessing over a case, but Ryou was sure Malik wouldn’t be letting him do that anymore.

Ryou smiled back at him, waving a hand. “Y-Yeah,” He said back, soft spoken, “You, too.”

Katsuya grinned, clearly happy that he managed to get a verbal greeting. Ryou was happy, too, for the most part, because Katsuya didn’t look at him like everyone else did.

Ryou walked down the hall and into the lobby, politely waving goodbye to the other office members who were packing up their things. Malik was waiting for him by the door, somehow looking more neat and energized than he did this morning. Ryou felt even more exhausted by merely looking at him.

“Ready?”

Ryou nodded. Malik led the way out of their office suite and the two headed down the stairs. In the distance, behind the glass windows in the doors, Ryou could see the flashing of cameras. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, clutching the strap of his shoulder bag with both hands.

“Malik,” Ryou said, grabbing a hold of Malik’s sleeve to get his attention. “I don’t-um-I don’t want to go out there.”

Malik turned, his brow furrowing in concern. He glanced between the flashing at the door and Ryou, taking a moment to think about their other options.

“We can go out the back. My car is closer to there. We can wait in there until they’re gone?”

Ryou mulled over the idea, but he wasn’t so sure how willing he was to wait.

“Actually, can you drive me home? And maybe pick me up in the morning...?”

Malik gave him a small smile, nodding his head in understanding. “Yeah,” he said, gesturing in the opposite direction. “No problem.”

Ryou followed him, glancing over his shoulder to worriedly look at the group of reporters and photographers. At least, what he could see of them.

Hopefully they will be gone by tomorrow, Ryou thought. The story they’re looking for isn’t something Ryou wanted to share.

In fact, he hadn’t even shared it with Malik, yet.

Of course, Malik had found him. Ryou didn’t know what he looked like, he didn’t want to know and he was probably never going to ask. He’d never been so vulnerable.

Malik had never asked, though. He never pressed for information like everyone else did. Ryou didn’t blame them, though. He’d had to ask questions like that many times before, although in a much more respectful way than most reporters.

Ryou never would have thought in a million years he’d be a part of his own case. A victim added to the list. A number. A specimen. A story.

Malik opened up the back door, holding it so that Ryou could go out first. Ryou nodded his thanks, feeling the cool breeze of the night air blow into his face. The sun had set, but there was a hint of an orange glow in the sky. Ryou looked out into the parking lot, scanning for Malik’s car. When he saw it, recognizing the color and style, he started to walk over to it, figuring the coast was clear and all reporters were at the front.

He approached the curb, keeping one hand on his bag and the other in the pocket of his jacket.

“Mr. Touzoku!”

Ryou turned his head, startled by the sudden shout. He saw a photographer running toward him, camera in ready position.

Before he had the thought to turn his head away, to hide, to run back inside, to do anything other than just stand there, the photographer snapped his photo, the flash just inches away from Ryou’s eyes.

_Bang Bang!_

Ryou’s hands felt hot after he fired his gun into the dark, his breathing heavy from running. It was so dark, though, he couldn’t tell whether or not he was running in a way that was beneficial to his escape. _Show yourself!_ He demanded, holding his gun out in front of himself with a firm grip. He walked backwards, blinking his eyes over and over in hopes that it would somehow make things easier to see, but nothing worked. The lights had been shut off and there was no way of knowing where he was or where the exit used to be. _You sound scared._ Ryou immediately shifted his arms right, pointing the gun in the direction of the voice. He swallowed, licking over his lips nervously. He had to call Malik. He had to reach for his phone, but the light would give his position away. It was already a risk with the gunshots, but Ryou had panicked when the lights went out. _It’s over!_ Ryou shouted, hoping the echo of his voice would be on his side in concealing his position, _Make this easy on yourself and come quietly!_ Ryou heard a laugh. A loud, entertained cackling. His hands started to shake and his gun was no longer steady. At this point, Ryou knew it was worth the risk to contact for backup. He crept backwards, holding the gun with one hand and slipping his other into his pocket to find his cell phone. The blue light shined on his face, his eyes only focused on it for what didn’t even feel like a second. A strong hand gripped the wrist holding the gun, and another clamped over his mouth. _Quiet enough, Investigator?_

“I don’t know,” Malik urged, sounding distressed. “We’re still in the car. I don’t know if he should go home.”

Ryou blinked a few times, but then his mouth opened and he sucked in a deep breath, sitting up from where he lay.

Malik jumped, dropping his phone and turning around in his seat. “Ryou,” He said, shifting to get a better look in the back of the car. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

Ryou, wide eyed, clutched his chest as he breathed in and out, his eyes scanning his surroundings. He slowly raised a hand to touch his face, lightly pinching his cheek.

He nodded.

“Yeah,” Ryou breathed, “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m okay.”

Malik looked around on the floor for his phone. He held it to his ear, turning away from Ryou to finish up his conversation. “Yeah, I’m here. He’s awake. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”

Ryou turned to look out the window, finding that they were parked in an empty lot for some kind of takeaway restaurant. The street lights were comforting to look at, for Ryou could see the entirety of the parking lot, finding comfort in the fact that it was void of people.

“I thought we were going home,” Ryou inquired, turning his attention back on Malik. “Where are we?”

Malik frowned for what Ryou thought was the millionth time that day. He didn’t like seeing him frown, and he hated being the reason for it.

“Well... Do you remember anything before that? Can you tell me what happened after you left your office?”

It was Ryou’s turn to frown. Did he remember? Of course he did.

“Yeah. I left, said goodbye to Katsuya, and you were going to drive me home.”

Malik didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. “Can you tell me what happened after you left the building? Do you remember getting in the car?”

Ryou looked confused, but he was worried something was wrong. Did he remember? Of course he did.

“I walked out,” He paused. Malik nodded. “I walked out and we... I walked to your car and-”

Malik’s worry melted into disappointment, his head slowly shaking. “Can I tell you what happened?”

Ryou stared at Malik, still trying to see if he could conjure up a memory, something that would hint to the answer Malik wanted. He didn’t want to sit in the back seat anymore, though, so Ryou climbed to the front, squeezing his way through the small gap between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat. He looked down in his lap, nodding after a couple of seconds of reflection.

“Yeah. Tell me.”

Malik took in a shaky breath, trying to hide it, but Ryou noticed anyway.

“You, um, okay. You walked outside and a photographer must have seen us go the back way. They approached you and took your picture. You sort of just, stood there, but then you just...” Malik struggled to continue, but noticed that it wasn’t helping Ryou at all, only making him nervous. “Stopped? I don’t know, existing? The reporter kept asking you questions but you weren’t hearing them. You just stood still. I was worried when I couldn’t get you to walk. You did, but just kind of like-”

“A zombie?” Ryou asked, raising a brow. He scoffed, and waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m fine now. It was nothing.”

Malik looked offended, his mouth hanging open in disbelief for a brief moment. “What? No! It wasn’t nothing!”

Ryou hadn’t expected him to raise his voice and he jumped in surprise, leaning away from Malik and into the door.

Malik sighed, facing forward and looking out the windshield. “I’m sorry. I just... I worry about you. You know that.”

Ryou was quiet, sensing that Malik wasn’t quite done with what he was saying. He was right.

“You--You’ve always been so strong. You always handled things on your own, but, Ryou,” Malik turned to face him again, brows knit, “If something is bothering you, you should tell me. I don’t know too much about what happened, but I know it’s not something you should deal with alone. You can talk to me.”

Ryou nibbled on his tongue, looking down at his folded hands in his lap. He shrugged, unable to give Malik the eye contact he probably wanted during a conversation like that one. Ryou just couldn’t do it, though.

He was filled with thoughts all the time. He couldn’t handle burdening Malik with any of them. Malik already looked at him like some kind of rescued puppy. Never like before. There was mutual respect between them, but Ryou could no longer feel that same energy. Telling Malik details, telling him what was on his mind, wouldn’t make anything better. It would only make Malik worry more.

“I’m fine,” Ryou said, regretting it in the slightest when he could feel Malik’s disappointment practically seep out of him. “It’s just been a weird day.”

Malik let out a soft sigh, grabbing his keys and turning the car on.

“Alright. Do you want to come to my place? There’s dinner ready.”

Ryou hesitated, pushing down the strong urge to say no, because he knew it would only make things worse. He wanted to go home so bad, to just lay in his bed and wallow in whatever it was he’d been feeling for the past year.

“Yeah,” He forced himself to say, smiling at Malik and hoping it didn’t look too fake. “I’ll come.”

Malik smiled back at him, nodding his head once before pulling the car out of the lot.

...

Malik drove them back to work the next morning. They stopped for coffee and bagels for everyone on the way, and had both agreed to arrive earlier than the day before, just in case the reporters came back.

They didn’t.

It made Ryou chuckle, not out of amusement but out of bitterness. Whoever took his picture must have made the story. He had given no information, but was sure there would be speculation.

Malik parked in the back again, helping Ryou with the coffee while Ryou held the box of bagels.

“Maybe I should take a leave more often,” He teased, “Then we’d get donuts and bagels more often.”

Malik snorted. “I know you’re joking, but maybe it’s a little too soon for that.”

The two laughed together and it felt good. It felt like it did before. For just a brief moment, Ryou had forgotten about the past.

Of course, it hadn’t lasted very long.

Ryou and Malik entered the brick building and made their way up the stairs. Since they were early, only a few lights were on. Ryou opened up the door to their office, wondering who else was in since the lights were already on.

Katsuya was chatting with the secretary in the lobby, and they looked to be discussing a serious topic.

“Morning,” Malik said, both him and Ryou walking over to the two to offer a bagel. “You’re both here early.”

They looked up, looking at Malik and then at Ryou. There was an awkward silence between them, and it made Ryou uncomfortable.

“Um... Bagel?” He asked, opening up the box to display the many varieties lined up neatly in their cardboard bed. They continued to stare, exchanging worried glances.

“What’s that you’re looking at?” Malik asked, setting the cupholder of coffee down on the secretary’s counter so that he could peek at what was in the secretary’s hand.

“Is that-?”

“Touzoku, I’m so sorry about, you know, everything,” The secretary said, taking Ryou off guard.

He smiled awkwardly, not knowing what else to do.

“Ah, what do you mean? You don’t have to be sorry about anything.”

Malik reached over the desk and snatched up the magazine that was laying open on the desk. He scowled at the article she was reading, and looked as if he were about to tear the magazine in half when he saw the cover.

“Where the hell did you get this?” He demanded, perhaps a bit too harshly.

The secretary leaned back, putting her hands up in defense.

“I-I just saw it this morning! When I went in to get my coffee!”

Malik looked up at Katsuya, noticing he was holding a newspaper.

“Let me see that,” He said, reaching his arm out across Ryou. “Give it to me.”

Katsuya, quietly, nervously, neatly folded up the newspaper and handed it over to Malik.

“Malik,” Ryou spoke up, not entirely sure what the issue was. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

Malik tucked the magazine under his arm and unfolded the newspaper, narrowing his eyes at the front page.

“I’ll show you in a minute,” Malik mumbled, folding up the newspaper and stomping off in the direction of his office.

Ryou blinked in confusion, figuring he should follow Malik.

“Uh, sorry,” He said, politely placing the bagels on the secretary’s desk in favor of grabbing the coffee he and Malik had bought for themselves. “Help yourself to those bagels.”

“Thanks,” Katsuya said, and Ryou waved to him as he started to walk away.

“Touzoku?”

Ryou turned, making eye contact with the secretary.

“I just-” She shyly tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear, “Well, I just wanted to say that you’re really brave. I’m proud of you for coming back.”

“Oh,” Ryou shifted awkwardly, deciding to just wave at her, too. “Thanks. I guess.”

He mumbled the last part, favoring walking in the direction Malik went.

Ryou could infer, based on not actually having met the secretary before (she must have been new), that their topic of conversation must have been himself.

The magazine, the newspaper...

Ryou started jogging, his eyes scanning the offices in the hall in case Malik was in one that wasn’t his. Ryou found him, though, of course, in his own office, angrily reading the newspaper.

“Malik?” He asked, entering his office and approaching his desk. Malik looked up and quickly covered the papers with his arms.

“I--Ryou, I don’t think you should look at these. It’s shock writing. They have no idea what happened and I don’t know how they got these pictures. I--”

“Malik.”

Ryou moved closer, holding his hand out.

“Let me see them.”

Malik remained in his awkward, sprawled out position over his desk, clearly not agreeing with Ryou, but he gave in anyway. Slowly, he stood up, begrudgingly pushing the papers closer to Ryou.

The magazine spread caught Ryou’s eye first. There were more pictures and bolder, in color headings.

The background was black, the overall tone of the spread looking almost laughably like what one would see during the Halloween season. The heading made a reference pun to a slasher film, and Ryou raised a brow. He supposed he couldn’t really argue with that one.

Before he read the words, his eyes roamed over the pictures on the spread, and he turned the page to see a few more.

He wasn’t sure how the magazine had managed to obtain the photographs, but there they were. They were evidence pictures, nothing artistic or compositional about them.

There was a picture of a wooden chair, a yellow number sitting on top of it. Torn duct tape lay on the ground and hung off the armrests, another yellow number sitting on the ground next to the leg of the chair.

A different picture taken of the same scene but at a different angle revealed a large brown stain on the cement ground, splashes and smears of brown surrounding it and staining the chair.

“Ryou-”

Ryou held up a finger, indicating he was still looking. Eerily, he still desired to look. He wanted to look. He _needed_ to look.

After those pictures, the next page was pictures of himself. The first one was an old picture, one he had taken long ago when he and Malik first opened their firm. He didn’t look much different, excepting maybe less bags under his eyes and his smile was a little more natural.

There was a description underneath, indicating to the reader that he was the investigator assigned to the case.

The author didn’t mention it, but Ryou had been appointed to the case by the local police department. Funnily enough, the PD was their biggest client on account of both of Malik’s siblings holding top positions there.

He smiled when he saw the article mention his fame for cracking tough cases, for never losing one or letting one go unsolved. He wondered who they interviewed, if they had, or if his reputation was just that good.

_But this would be one case Touzoku Ryou would never forget._

Ryou’s eyes wandered away from the text to look at the other images on the second spread. A content warning was printed at the top in an obnoxious black and yellow design. There were more evidence photographs, but these were much more private. They were photos of Ryou’s wounds when he had been admitted to the hospital. Stitches poked into swollen, inflamed skin on his left hand and upper arm. A photo of his chest was presented next to a photo Ryou recognized to have been in the case files as a different victim. They were compared, side by side, one looking much more alive than the other, but the wounds were practically the same.

“What the fuck...” Ryou said to himself, looking closer at the images.

“Where did they get these? Who took these?”

As if the magazine had burned him, he tossed it at Malik, picking up the newspaper next. The front page was the same photograph from the magazine, the old one with the happy smile.

_Back From the Dead_

And in smaller text:

_Local Detective Survives_

Ryou quickly flipped to the page containing the story and began to speed read through the whole thing.

_Touzoku Ryou had never left a case unsolved, but this would be one he’d never forget._

_Found bleeding, gagged, and tied to a chair._

_Endured unspeakable physical and mental torture._

_Maniac killer ‘Bakura’ is still at large._

Ryou’s grip on the paper had tightened, his fingernails nearly poking holes through it.

“Fuck this,” He said, ripping up the paper as much as he could into the tiniest pieces he could. “This is bullshit. Who did they fucking talk to? Who gave--”

Ryou dropped the shredded newspaper in favor of grabbing the magazine, waving it in front of Malik’s face.

“Where did these come from?! Who took these?”

Malik looked like he didn’t know what to do, which he probably didn’t, but it wasn’t the first time he had to deal with a frantic, panicked Ryou.

He stood, walking around his desk to close the door when he saw a small crowd begin to form in front of it.

“Ryou,” Malik began, voice calm and collected, “Count to ten with me. You need to breathe.”

Ryou looked at Malik in disbelief, shaking his head.

“What? No! I don’t need to breathe. The problem is I can’t breathe!” Ryou’s fingers tangled themselves in his hair, gripping and pulling as he paced back and forth in Malik’s office.

Malik watched him, staying quiet as it seemed the information he wanted from Ryou before was going to spill out. It wasn’t the preferred way of helping his friend, but Malik would rather watch Ryou explode than have to watch him hold it in.

“He’s everywhere! Everyone looks at me like I’m some kind of freak.” Ryou paused to reflect on that statement, looking down at his left hand before showing it to Malik.

“It’s true! I am! I’m a freak and I shouldn’t be alive and he should be in jail! How dare they even say his name in that fucking newspaper! He doesn’t deserve fame! He doesn’t need anymore!”

Malik nodded along, cautiously walking closer to Ryou, but Ryou stepped away from him.

“And you-- You have to stop looking at me like that. I’m _fine._ You want to know what happened? Just read it in the fucking news. That’s what everyone is going to believe anyway.”

Ryou’s voice had died down towards the end, and his anger subsided into a weird mixture of guilt and embarrassment.

Everyone told him he was brave, that he was strong for having come back, but what they didn’t know was that Ryou would die for a case. He felt guilty because a killer was still on the loose, probably stalking another victim, waiting for them to be alone so he could fuck up their life and most likely kill them before they had to live with it.

Ryou sometimes wished, especially in moments of anger, that he hadn’t lived.

The pain made his body shake. Ryou didn’t think he would last another round with the knife. He was wet with sweat and blood. The circulation in his hands had been nearly completely cut off to the point where he could no longer feel them, even with a literal hole in his left. All he felt was pain. It hurt to breathe, and when the cold air blew onto his chest every now and then, the cuts would sting. Ryou couldn’t remember the last time he struggled. He could only sit and try not to move too much so as to not aggravate his wounds. It felt weird to be there alone, and as terrified as he felt when Bakura was there, a small part of him was relieved to have company. Bakura, Bakura, Bakura. He hated that name. He hated to even think it. He hated to acknowledge this sadistic maniac even had one. Ryou let his head lean back and he looked up at the only light in the room. It felt warm on his face. Ryou closed his eyes to welcome the warmth when everything else was feeling cold. He didn’t know when Bakura would be back. Ryou promised himself he wouldn’t cry. His head rolled to the side when leaning it back was taking too much energy. When he opened his eyes, they were wet. This was it. He was going to die. Bakura would come back and finish the job, Malik would find his body in a ditch somewhere, and that would be it for Private Investigator Touzoku Ryou. He blinked a few more times, shifting in the creaky chair for what was probably the thousandth time to see if he could break through the tape holding him in place. He let out a muffled groan, squeezing his eyes shut as the wave of pain came and went. He heard footsteps. They were coming closer. Ryou didn’t bother picking up his head. Bakura won. The door opened, light flooded in.

“Ryou?”

Ryou looked up, seeing Malik hovering over him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Ryou’s face felt wet and sticky, and when he breathed in, he sniffled.

“Oh god,” He mumbled, wiping his face and nose with the sleeve of his shirt, turning away from Malik. “Don’t look at me.”

Malik removed his hand, awkwardly shoving both of them in his pockets. He stared at Ryou, watching him aggressively rub at his face to rid the signs of crying.

Ryou looked at his sleeves, wrinkling his nose at how much mucus smeared on to them. He looked around the room, finding that Malik had seated him in front of his desk, only Ryou didn’t remember sitting down. The office was quiet, but Ryou could see movement through the frosted window facing the hallway.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, letting out a long sigh.

“Do you mind if I work from home today?” He asked, choosing to look down at his lap rather than at Malik.

“Sure. I’ll come with--”

“No.” Ryou shook his head. “I want to be alone,” He mumbled, hesitantly glancing up at Malik only to regret it when he saw the disapproving expression on his face.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

Malik sat down next to Ryou, grabbing a tissue box and handing it over to him.

“Do you know what happened?”

Ryou sighed again as he grabbed the box, taking one out and wiping his sleeves with it. He thought about Malik’s question, trying to remember what they had been talking about before.

“The newspaper,” Ryou said, spotting pieces of it on the floor. “I got upset.”

Malik nodded.

“Yeah. You did.” Slowly, he leaned closer to Ryou, gently smoothing out a wrinkle in the shoulder of Ryou’s shirt. Ryou flinched in the slightest, but leaned into Malik’s hand, finding that it was warm and comforting. It always was.

“I want you to stay here until lunch, okay?” Malik gently tucked a strand of Ryou’s hair behind his ear, offering a half smile. “If you can stay with us for that long, without going into the twilight zone or whatever it is that’s been happening, I’ll let you drive home. You’ll call me when you get there, and then again in the morning. If I don’t get a call, I’m coming over.”

Ryou sniffed once, tapping his fingers on his thigh a few times.

“Alright. Deal.”

...

The pile of files on his desk was shrinking. Slowly, but as long as he was able to keep the pace, Ryou was hopeful he’d finish the pile by the end of the week.

For now, though, he had checked the time and saw that it was noon. He considered his options, finding that he felt okay enough to stay for the rest of the day. There was also the dread of taking a walk of shame through the hallway and out the door, where everyone in the office would watch him go home early.

That wasn’t something Ryou wanted to do.

He pulled out his phone and shot Malik a quick message to let him know he’d be staying the rest of the day. He smiled when he received a winky face back.

Ryou set his phone down and leaned back in his chair, deciding to give his brain a break from reading and writing. Funnily enough, it felt more like a break when he had busied himself with his work. He hoped it wouldn’t be his origins as a workaholic.

Well, maybe he had always been a workaholic.

Ryou spun side to side in his chair, making clicking sounds with his tongue. His eyes roamed around his office, his mind wandering into thinking about whether or not he should get more decorations.

He spun his chair around to look at the blank bulletin board, only he found that it wasn’t completely blank. In the bottom right corner there was an old picture, one he immediately recognized.

Ryou reached forward and carefully took out the pin securing the photo to the board, gently holding the photo in his hands.

It was a picture of him and Malik. They were standing in front of the door to their office. Malik had his arm around Ryou’s shoulder, looking neat and clean while he looked at the camera. Ryou, on the other hand, was wearing a wrinkled dress shirt, his eyes were on Malik and there was the slightest hint of a blush dusting over his cheeks.

Ryou snorted, smirking fondly at the memory of being upset that Malik didn’t want to take another photo. When they had gotten it developed, Malik was very quick to poke fun at him, pointing out the wrinkled shirt and the blush on his face.

“You could never focus around me,” Malik had said, laughing. “How are you going to get anything done now that we’re working so close together?”

Ryou chuckled to himself, but his smile began to fade into a frown. Malik hadn’t teased him like that in a long time. Ryou couldn’t even remember the last time it had happened. He wished he did, though, because he missed it a lot.

Part of the reason why he and Malik were so close was because they didn’t interact like ‘normal’ people. They expressed care for each other through jokes, pranks, and inappropriate crime humor. He remembered having a Law and Order one liner battle with Malik while they were working on a case together. It was highly unprofessional, seeing that they were on the job and being paid, but they had to keep their sanity somehow.

What happened?

Malik was much more straightforward with his thoughts now. Ryou never would have thought that he would miss Malik’s unintentional riddles, that he would long to try and guess what he might be thinking or feeling. Malik’s mysteriousness was attractive, engaging. It made Ryou feel like he was the only one who understood Malik. Like, somehow, they were speaking an entirely different language that no one else knew.

It didn’t feel like that anymore.

Of course Ryou knew why. Ever since Malik found him, sweaty, bleeding, and helpless, he’d spoken to him differently. LIke how he spoke to everyone else. Like he was afraid to joke around, to tease Ryou about anything in case he accidentally said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Ryou frowned as he tucked the photo into the crevice of his computer monitor so that he could see it better.

Ryou hated it because it was true.

Malik wasn’t the only one that was different, and it was unfair of Ryou to think that way. As much as he dreaded to admit it, Ryou knew that he was sensitive. Words, phrases, too close hands, and unexpected pokes or shoves--They all made Ryou’s throat tighten and heart palpitate.

The day Ryou had woken from his 48 hour exhaustion sleep, Malik had tried to hug him. Ryou remembered how happy he looked, and how happy he, himself, had felt to see him. He didn’t know what would happen.

When he felt Malik’s arms wrap around him, and his body pressed against his own, Ryou panicked. He shoved Malik away and clutched his chest, only to panic further when he saw his shirt had been replaced with bandages.

Ryou shut his eyes, turning away from the photo.

He would never forget the hurt in Malik’s eyes. How he just stood there with his siblings, wanting so bad to help Ryou out of his state of fear, but being unable to do so.

Finally, Ryou felt like he pinned it down. That was the way Malik looked at him. He was in a constant state of trying to help, but not knowing how.

Ryou shook his head and took in a deep breath, letting it out slow. Break was over and Ryou wanted to dive back into his paperwork before his thoughts strayed a little too far.

...

“Alright, Ryou. Quittin’ time.”

Ryou looked up from his desk to see Malik leaning against the doorway. He was smirking, and Ryou smiled.

“Already?” He chuckled softly, closing the file folder he was working on and gathering his bag and jacket. “I guess I lost track of the time, huh.”

Ryou met Malik at the door, but hesitated before exiting.

“Is the hall clear?” He asked, not particularly wanting to have any additional conversations like the one that morning.

Malik nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry. Just follow me.”

He led them out and Ryou followed, keeping his head down so that he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. It worked, and he liked to imagine that Malik glared at anyone who attempted to walk up to them. He wasn’t sure, though, because he couldn’t see him, but the thought was enough to make Ryou smile to himself.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they both looked at the front door, finding it void of any flashes or crowds.

“Guess they got what they wanted,” Ryou commented, letting out a sigh.

Malik chuckled. “You sound disappointed.”

Ryou rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head. “Fame isn’t for me.”

They both smiled, but otherwise the conversation ended. There was a moment of silence between them, the energy awkward. Malik cleared his throat, turning in the direction of the back door.

“I, um... Are you okay to drive yourself then? I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Ryou nodded, turning the opposite way toward the front door. “Yeah. I’ll be okay. I’ll let you know when I get home.”

With that, they waved to each other.

“See you tomorrow,” They said in sync, walking off in their separate directions.

Ryou pushed the door open, the cool evening breeze once again nipping at his face. Ryou shivered and pulled his jacket closed, reaching into his pocket to grab his car keys with his left hand.

He huffed in frustration when he couldn’t grasp them, letting go of his jacket so he could reach for them with his right.

The wind blew again, and Ryou hurriedly opened up his car door so he could warm up inside. He put the key in the ignition and the headlights came on. Ryou sat there for a moment, casually thinking about what he would make for dinner when he got home, but something in the windshield caught his attention.

Tucked inside of the windshield wiper was a white envelope. Ryou furrowed his brow in confusion. He unrolled his window and leaned forward, managing to snatch it out, even with his spasmy, unreliable left hand.

Ryou turned on the overhead light, flipping the envelope around in his hands.

_Touzoku Ryou_

Odd, Ryou thought. His mailbox was inside. Someone could have slipped it in there or even handed it to him.

He sighed then, tossing the envelope into the driver’s seat.

It was probably from a reporter, asking him ‘nicely’ to interview or something of the sort. Ryou didn’t have the time for that.

He pulled out of the lot and started the drive back home.

The envelope sat innocently on the seat, and every couple of red lights, Ryou would glance over at it, rolling his eyes back onto the road every time he did.

When he made it back home, the intrigue had gotten to him. How could he not open an envelope left on his car? Surely it was something important. Maybe even something mysterious.

Ryou grabbed the envelope and his bag and started the walk into his apartment building.

It was much too dark to open it up outside, so Ryou waited until he was in.

His finger glided along the seal, tearing the paper open quietly.

He pushed the button to call the elevator. He stepped in. His fingers dipped into the envelope to pull out its contents, but Ryou’s clumsy hands dropped it before he could fish it out.

Ryou huffed in annoyance as he bent down to pick up the fallen envelope, only to have to exit the elevator a moment later.

He reached his door, fiddled with his keys, and entered his apartment, being greeted with the familiar scent of his own home.

Ryou turned on the lights, tossed his keys into the basket near the door, and walked to the sofa in his small living room.

Plopping himself down, Ryou brought his attention back to his mystery envelope, once again dipping his fingers inside and pulling out its contents.

It felt light and smooth, like a newspaper clipping.

It was.

He unfolded it, revealing it to be the cover of the day’s newspaper. His own face stared back at him, only something was different.

Six marks were made on his picture-- Five X’s on his chest and one on his arm.

Ryou’s breath got caught in his throat, and he felt like he couldn’t move. As his eyes roamed over the page, he saw writing over his picture.

_Found you!_

Ryou shook the paper out of his hand and got up from the sofa, wiping his hands on his thighs as if the paper had stained them. He kept walking backwards, bumping into the table and turning around to make sure that it was just the table. Ryou felt his throat begin to close, his hands becoming uncontrollably shaky.

“What does that mean?” He asked himself, his hands moving to push his hair back. His forehead felt damp as he was beginning to sweat.

Ryou was sure Bakura wouldn’t come back. He was sure he had been long gone, probably in another state.

It was weird, but Ryou knew Bakura better than anyone else. He had gotten into his mind, had studied his behavior, knew practically everything there was to know about him.

He never returned to a scene. He never desired to stay in the same town.

He also never had a victim live before.

Ryou began to bite his fingernails, practically hyperventilating in his kitchen while the envelope and fallen paper sat a few feet away on his living room area rug.

He had to call Malik.

Right?

Ryou, despite the thick cloud of anxiety that was slowly taking over his mind, tried to remember where he had put his phone. He walked back to the sofa and looked in the cushions, searched in the basket where he put his keys, returned to the sofa and then the kitchen.

Thinking was becoming useless, his hands were still shaking.

Luckily, his hand happened to swipe against his leg, and he remembered he had slid his cell phone in his pocket.

He held it in his hands, hurriedly finding Malik’s contact and pressing the ‘call’ button.

_Wait._

Ryou quickly ended the call before it could ring.

Just like that, some kind of misguided clarity came over him. His breathing slowed as he let out a deep breath. Since he was in his kitchen, he pulled out a kitchen chair and slumped down into it, letting his body relax as he reflected on the sudden thought that popped into his head.

If Bakura was coming after him, if Bakura had really put that envelope in his car and it wasn’t just someone trying to be mean, then maybe Ryou could get to him first. If Ryou remembered the cycle of his killings correctly, he had at least a month. The only problem was Malik had the case files.

Ryou looked down at his phone again, quickly typing Malik a text:

_Home safe. See you tomorrow._

He had to get those files back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!!! I really was not expecting to get the responses i have been getting on this fic! I started writing it to take my mind off of some things in my life and wasn't at all expecting many people to be interested, but it makes me happy that a lot of you share an interest in this kind of stuff :-) Thank you! <3
> 
> Enjoy chapter 2 :-)

…

Ryou awoke early the next day, but arguably never fell asleep. The envelope was still sitting in the living room where he had left it the night before. He didn’t want to touch it again, for the thought of touching something Bakura had also touched repulsed him to the core.

Yet, he still didn’t know if it was Bakura who had sent it. Ryou was never one to speculate without enough evidence, for finding evidence to prove a theory was literally his job. This wasn’t any different.

He’d fallen in and out of sleep, debating with himself on the authenticity of the document.

The issue with Bakura was that, to the unknowing victim, he was just an ordinary guy.

He never did anything suspicious before he killed. It was almost as if something in him would switch and he went from friend to murderer literally overnight.

Ryou groaned into his pillow the more he thought about Bakura. Even thinking his name in his own head drove him crazy. He even hated hearing it before things went horribly wrong.

Bakura was not an easy case.

Ryou had been on his trail for a year because, finally, after the fifth victim in a five year cycle, the Domino police department hired private investigators Touzoku and Ishtar to take it over. Little did they know Ryou had already heard of him.

Bakura was a traveler. No criminal wanted to get caught, and Bakura was no different. He traveled across the country only recently coming into Domino the year before. His pattern was almost random, but Ryou liked to think he had it figured out.

Ryou’s phone buzzed, bringing him out of his thoughts and back into reality. He sat up in his bed, tiredly rubbing his eyes before reaching over to grab his phone that was resting near his pillow.

_I’m picking you up. You can’t say no because I’m already here._

Ryou resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose as he read Malik’s text. No doubt he was still worrying about him from last night. He supposed he couldn’t be mad at him for that, though, so Ryou typed out a quick ‘ok.’

Ryou took his time getting ready, if only to spite Malik. If he was going to pick him up, then he was going to have to wait.

He showered, brushed his teeth, and got dressed, his pants very wrinkled on account he didn’t bother folding them after washing them, and his button down shirt was surprisingly unwrinkled on account of that one having been hung in the closet. He put on his signature sneakers, grabbed his coat, bag, and keys, and approached the front door.

Ryou glanced over his shoulder at the papers still sitting in his living room. If he had any thoughts about grabbing them and showing them to Malik, he quickly shoved them away. This was his case. It always had been. Nobody was going to take that away from him.

Gently, Ryou shut the door and made his way downstairs, quickly spotting Malik in his car once he stepped outside.

“Hey,” He said as he sat down, putting his bag on the floor in between his feet. “This is a surprise.”

“Yeah, well,” Malik shrugged. “I was up anyway. Couldn’t stop thinking about you,” He hummed, batting his eyelashes at Ryou as his hands mechanically changed gears to back the car out of the parking space.

An unwilling smile tugged at Ryou’s lips and he looked away from Malik in hopes he wouldn’t see it.

“I can’t stand you,” He mumbled, though of course he didn’t mean it.

Malik snickered in response, but the conversation quieted down as he got onto the road and began to drive. Ryou took it upon himself to turn the radio on, struggling to find a station that suited his current mood.

After circling around the stations three annoying times, Malik spoke up, pointing a finger at the glove compartment in front of Ryou.

“Your mixtape is in there.”

“My _what?_ ”

Malik laughed, easing on the brake as they came to a red light. He looked over at Ryou who looked back at him in amused confusion.

“Your mixtape. From university. Remember?”

Any amusement in Ryou’s face had completely vanished, replaced with existential dread. His face grew warm and he quickly turned away from Malik before he could see it, but he knew he didn’t react in time.

“Oh my god,” He groaned. “Why do you still have that?”

Malik chuckled. “I don’t know. I like it.”

He double checked the road before reaching over to open the compartment, pulling out a CD and placing it on Ryou’s lap. “Come on,” He prompted, “Put it in.”

Ryou looked down at his lap in horror, picking up the CD enclosed in its plastic prison. He quickly recognized his sharpie marker handwriting that read “For Malik, from Ryou.”

His nose wrinkled and he hesitantly opened up the case, sliding the CD into the player.

“I hate you,” He said, smiling.

“Yeah, that’s why you made this for me, right?” Malik teased, reaching over to turn the volume up higher.

The ‘mixtape’ in question Ryou remembered too well. It had been a desperate attempt to tell Malik he liked him, but it didn’t actually work the way he expected it to. Ryou had compiled a mixtape of songs from his favorite movies, but Malik wasn’t really much of a movie watcher.

Ryou had the expectation that Malik would instantly fall in love with him after listening to what was, in Ryou’s young adult eyes, the masterlist of love songs.

Malik just thought Ryou was being friendly.

“I can’t believe you kept this all these years.” Ryou rested his head in his hand, leaning against the window as he watched the trees and buildings whiz by. “I haven’t even seen any of these movies since then.”

“I have.”

Ryou perked up, raising a brow as he peeked over at Malik out the corner of his eye, smirking. “Oh? You have?” 

Malik hummed. “Just a few.”

Ryou’s smirk grew into a grin and he became very interested in this new topic of conversation.

“Really? Malik Ishtar, you’ve been keeping this secret from me all this time and you’re not even going to give me your opinion?”

Malik snorted, shaking his head as he turned the steering wheel. “Maybe another time. After our little excursion.”

Ryou furrowed his brow, turning to look out the window again and watching as they passed by their office building. He frowned, not so sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Excursion?” Ryou asked, lowering his voice. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t sound so afraid,” Malik said, waving a hand in dismissal. “We’re not going to the doctor or anything like that. I’m taking you somewhere fun. It’s a surprise.”

Ryou pressed his lips into a thin line, but in the end he trusted Malik. He leaned forward and turned the volume up, bobbing his head to a song he favored, but hadn’t heard in quite a long time.

“Alright then. Beats doing paperwork all day.”

They glanced at each other and smiled, both of them bobbing their heads in sync to the beat.

They drove in comfortable silence, except when they felt the need to sing along to a song they both knew. Malik drove for a long time, though, and it was still early in the morning. Ryou might have sparked up another conversation, reminiscing about their time in university together, but he was feeling tired. He chose to look out the window, enjoying catching glimpses of colored leaves in the trees.

Ryou always thought it funny how the leaves looked so pretty in their final stages of life. Red, orange, yellow--Nobody really thinks about how they’re dying, just sitting, waiting to fall off their branch so they could hit the ground and decompose.

Autumn was Bakura’s favorite season.

Ryou wrinkled his nose, but he continued to let his thoughts wander away from him.

How many days were left? 30? 45?

Ryou nibbled on his lip, trying to remember. He usually didn’t forget details of a case, but he’d been away from work so long he hadn’t had the chance to exercise his memory. Not to mention he may have subconsciously attempted to rid his mind of every piece of information he knew about Bakura.

Glancing over at Malik, Ryou thought about asking him about the files again, but decided against it. Malik was smiling, relaxed and looking to be having a good day. Ryou hadn’t seen him like that in a long time and he didn’t want to be the one to ruin it.

Ryou sighed softly through his nose. He felt guilty about worrying Malik all the time, but there was no way of avoiding it. Malik had always worried about him, even when they were classmates.

“Hey, are you okay?” Malik asked on the day of their biology final exam. They were lab partners. Ryou had arrived late with bags under his eyes and was much too jittery for the way he looked. A large coffee in his hand was the explanation for the latter part.

“Fine, fine. Just a little late night studying.”

The caffeine lasted the duration of the exam. Malik walked out of the building with Ryou walking next to him. Ryou couldn’t remember what Malik was talking about, but he knew he had asked him a question. As Ryou turned to answer, he fell flat on the tile floor.

“Oh-Ryou!”

Malik helped Ryou back up and took him to his dormitory since it was closest. He spent the day making sure Ryou had eaten proper nutrition and drank enough water. Since it had been their last day of exams, they spent the night together talking, laughing, and finally sleeping, cramped on the same twin size bed.

Ryou smiled to himself, his face growing slightly warm when he caught sight of his reflection in the car window. Thinking about Malik often had that effect on him.

Ryou’s thoughts swayed back and forth, for the most part forgetting about maniacal killers and their murder cycles and focusing more on Malik--All until Malik himself caught Ryou’s attention.

“Alright. We’re here.”

Ryou looked ahead, finding that they were pulling into the parking lot of a local restaurant. Ryou recognized it right away as the breakfast diner he and Malik frequented for celebratory occasions: The opening of their firm, birthdays, successful cases…

Ryou almost frowned, for he knew neither one of them had completed a case in nearly a year, but he didn’t. He was happy to be spending time with Malik, especially when it seemed like he wouldn’t be fussing over Ryou’s mental state.

“What’s the occasion?” Ryou asked, raising a curious brow.

Malik smirked as he put the car in park, sitting back in his seat with a content sigh.

“Oh, I don’t know. I just thought we’d treat ourselves to something nice. I think we deserve it.”

Ryou smiled, tucking his hair behind his ears.

“Well, I hope you brought your wallet because I brought quite the appetite today,” He teased, winking at Malik before getting out of the car.

Malik snickered, following suit.

… 

After breakfast, Malik drove them to a nearby forest preserve. The weather was exceptional, one of those fall days where it was perfectly mild. The air was cool and the breeze crisp, perfect for the two men wearing light jackets.

Ryou loved walking, but only if it was in an engaging natural setting like the forest or the beach. There was something about seeing dirt and climbing rocks that drew him to it. Malik, on the other hand, wasn’t too fond of the dirt or the climbing, but they put their differences aside and settled for staying on the paved path.

Their shoes scuffed along the pavement, Ryou’s sneakers much more quiet than Malik’s dress shoes. His heels tapped against the pavement loudly, but it wasn’t too disruptive of the atmosphere. In fact, the steady rhythm of Malik’s pace served to further create a rather relaxing bundle of sounds; The wind blowing through the leaves, birds chirping, the gentle splashing of a nearby stream, and the soft tapping of Malik’s shoes.

Malik must have made these plans on a whim, otherwise he would have worn the proper walking shoes. Ryou prided himself on always being ready to move due to the fact that he wore his sneakers with everything.

They had talked more about their time in university together over breakfast. Ryou hadn’t thought about those memories in so long. They seemed so long ago, especially now with so many other things passing through Ryou’s mind throughout the day.

It was sad to think, but Ryou had nearly forgotten how close he and Malik were and how long they had been friends. Maybe he didn’t forget, but had been taking it all for granted. They’d seen each other every day for nearly 3 years since they opened their firm together.

These memories, the way they talked about them, and especially the reminder of the silly CD Ryou had made conjured up feelings Ryou had pushed away time and time again.

He loved Malik, of course, and Malik loved him, but Ryou, no matter how hard he tried to pull away from Malik, was always wanting to be close to him.

The past year, Ryou hadn’t thought much about that, though. He was focused on getting better and Malik was focused on making sure Ryou was okay. In fact, it still seemed that Malik was in protective mode. In a way, they had gotten closer, but certainly not in the way Ryou wanted them to. It was suffocating and exhausting, a constant push and pull of Malik wanting to help and Ryou shying away because of an ever growing guilt.

Despite this, Ryou found himself thinking about it again. About his feelings.

Perhaps it wasn’t a good time, but then again, would there ever be? Walking alone with Malik in the forest preserve seemed like as good a time as any, especially considering the minute they go back to work, Ryou knew he would push everything away again and possibly never bring it up.

Ryou tucked some hair behind his ear, nervously licking his lips as his eyes found Malik, watching him walk beside him. His golden hair shined, freely blowing with the wind, innocently showing off how silky it was. 

“So, do you miss uni?” Ryou finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence and interrupting the sounds of nature surrounding them.

“Sometimes,” Malik replied with a shrug. “I don’t miss the piles of assignments, though.”

Ryou nodded in consideration, beginning to sway as he walked. For some reason, he hoped that Malik could read his thoughts and maybe bring up the subject himself, but of course that wasn’t going to happen. His heart began to beat a little faster and it took Ryou a moment to continue the conversation.

“I miss uni.”

This seemed to have caught Malik’s interest.

“Why is that? I thought you, of all people, wouldn’t miss being weighed down by responsibilities,” He teased.

Ryou just shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked at the path ahead of them, too embarrassed to look Malik in the eye. He blushed, mostly at the top of his ears, but his hair hid it pretty well. At least, he hoped it did.

“I dunno. It’s just been nice thinking about stuff we did together, but it also makes me think about other things.”  
He hummed, putting off the next phrase that was on the tip of his tongue, “Makes me think about stuff we maybe… didn’t do.”

Simultaneously, their pace slowed to a stop, Malik turning his body to give Ryou his full attention. Ryou could see the faintest hint of red on his brown cheeks. He was glad he wasn’t the only one.

“What, um…” Malik scratched the back of his head. “What do you mean?”

Ryou felt his mouth go dry, but not necessarily in a bad way. He felt nervous, but it was a bubbly feeling, rising up into his chest from his stomach.

“I mean…” Ryou’s eyes wandered around, looking up at the sky and the ground before they landed on Malik again. “I mean, why haven’t we gotten closer?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They looked at each other, a breeze coming in and blowing their hair in front of their faces. It served as an excuse to fidget, both of them fixing their hair to get the strands out of the way. Ryou’s feel-good anxiety was quickly turning into dread. When Malik still didn’t say anything, Ryou quickly turned away, continuing to walk.

“I-I’m sorry. Nevermind,” He quickly stammered, only to stop walking when he felt Malik’s warm hand touch his shoulder, keeping him in place.

“No, wait. I just-” Malik thought for a moment, his lips spreading into a smile as he started to laugh quietly. “Well, I don’t know. I thought maybe we were just business partners.”

Ryou turned around, chuckling along with Malik, but he didn’t quite understand what he meant by that.

“We are. I wouldn’t want to be in business with anyone else.”

Malik smiled, looking down at the ground to hide how big it was. Ryou looked at him fondly, but his anxiety was not alleviated. They were always business partners; That was the problem. Ryou hadn’t brought anything up because he didn’t want to make things weird between them. Did Malik feel the same way? He was smiling and blushing, but what did that mean?

“Come on,” Malik said, gesturing out to the path that awaited them. “Let’s finish our walk.”

Ryou blinked, coming to the unfortunate conclusion that Malik did not return the feelings. They were business partners. Private investigators. They couldn’t afford to change that.

Hiding his disappointment, Ryou nodded. He turned around and started to walk, feeling insecure when Malik didn’t walk next to him anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Ryou mumbled again, looking down at his shoes as he walked. “I didn’t mean to make things weird.”

“Weird? You didn’t make things weird.”

Malik caught up to Ryou, walking next to him on the right. Ryou felt him there, hesitantly glancing over at him only to see him still smiling.

“What-”

“You didn’t make things weird,” Malik said again, causing Ryou to not have anything more to say.

They walked, but Ryou almost couldn’t bear it for another second. That is, until he felt Malik move closer to him. 

Lazily, he nudged into Ryou, nonchalantly grazing his fingers along Ryou’s hand.

Ryou felt his face grow warm, his heart beginning to flutter back to life after feeling like it had taken a blow. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t need to.

Ryou welcomed Malik’s hand and eventually their fingers intertwined. Malik’s hand, like it always did, felt warm and soft. His hold was light and shy.

They walked with their hands together for the remaining length of the path. It was awkward at first, but the energy between them settled down from anxious to calm.

As they reached the end of the path, Ryou leaned in closer to Malik, lightly resting his head on his shoulder.

“I thought we were just business partners,” He murmured, chuckling softly.

Malik nodded, letting his head sit atop Ryou’s as they came to a stop.

“We are. I wouldn’t want to be in business with anyone else.”

…

Ryou waved Malik goodbye, a bright, happy smile on his face. He half expected it to fall when he turned away, but he found that he just couldn’t stop. He felt like he had when he’d first met Malik, jittery and nervous. The more he thought about him the more he smiled.

After their walk, they spent the day out driving around town, concluding with a couple of drinks at a local bar. They weren’t the type to party, but rather the enjoyment of each other’s company was enough to have fun.

They didn’t hold hands again after the walk, but Ryou didn’t mind at all. It didn’t matter if things went slow after that. Ryou was happy to get those feelings off his chest once and for all. Malik’s personality, the mysterious, confident aura that Ryou had missed returned. He just couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Ryou entered the elevator in his building and leaned against the wall, letting out a content sigh. Everything felt good. He had missed hanging out with Malik so freely and for so long without consequence. Surprisingly, their day of fun didn’t get interrupted by a lapse in memory or a moment of intrusive thinking.

Ryou chuckled to himself as he walked out of the elevator and into the hallway, heading to his apartment door. As much fun as he had, Ryou was tired and he couldn’t wait to settle down for the day.

When he entered his apartment, Ryou went straight to the fridge to pull out a soda. Malik and him had eaten dinner with their drinks, but Ryou was feeling a bit thirsty.

He popped the can open as he walked into his living room, settling down on the sofa.

Ryou smiled as he sipped his drink, enjoying simply recalling the day’s activities. As he leaned forward to set his can on the little coffee table, a piece of paper caught his eye.

Slowly, his smile faded. Reaching out, Ryou picked up the news clipping and the ripped envelope, clutching them in one hand.

“Where did you come from,” Ryou mumbled to himself, squinting at the markings and handwriting on the paper.

Dwelling on the idea of Bakura having written it wouldn’t serve to make his evening any better. Ryou knew it was best to tuck it away for tomorrow. Still, it was a brief reminder of the fact that he needed to get those files from Malik somehow. 

It wasn’t going to be an easy task, especially now that they had, after nearly seven years,seemed to have gotten even closer.

Sighing, Ryou stood from the couch and made his way to his bedroom.  
He stuffed the newspaper clipping back into the envelope, tucking the envelope into his nightstand drawer. It was best not to leave something like that lying around for anyone to see.

Ryou shut the drawer, suddenly feeling tired. Perhaps it was time to settle in for the night. He was up on his feet for most of the day. Ryou hadn’t been so active in so long and it seemed it was all catching up with him at once.

A warm shower seemed like the best way to end the day.

Ryou grabbed his towel and a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom, humming a tune he remembered from his old mixtape. He still couldn’t believe that Malik had kept the dumb CD after all these years.

He let out a sigh as he set his things down on the counter in the bathroom, proceeding with removing his clothes. He unbuttoned his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. When he looked back up, he was met with his reflection.

Ryou’s unconscious smile faded away, his eyes roaming over the scars on his chest.

_I’m surprised you’ve made it this far._

Ryou shut his eyes, holding his head in his hands.

One too many drinks, he thought. They were making him feel funny.

Feeling dizzy, Ryou leaned back against the tile wall, the sudden cold briefly distracting him from unwanted thoughts.

He opened his eyes, choosing to look down at his feet rather than back in the mirror. Letting out a long, steady breath, he leaned forward into the shower to start the water, letting it run while he removed the rest of his clothes.

When Ryou stepped into the tub, he sucked in a breath as droplets of hot water made contact with his skin. It burned at first, but as more water dripped down his body, he became used to it. Ryou leaned his head back, allowing the water to run through his hair, guiding it with his hands.

It was soothing. Relaxing.

He rubbed at his eyes, making sure there was no water in them when he opened them. Ryou looked down at his feet, seeing red. He blinked, rubbing his eyes again, but saw no red the second time.

He moved his right hand, feeling over the five scars on his chest, counting them.

_One. Two…_

Ryou, for some reason, recalled the first time he was able to shower after arriving at the hospital. He remembered how his wounds had stung, how red and angry they became. Blood trickled out of them, causing the floor of the shower to turn reddish pink as blood mixed with water.

Ryou blinked slowly, lifting his head and finding it harder to breathe.

It felt hard to stand.

Ryou could feel himself slipping away. He tried to think about Malik again, about the way he held his hand, his warm touch, his welcoming smile-- Anything.

The water was too hot. His body felt tingly and the simple task of turning around to find the temperature valve was proving to be not so simple.

The sound of water leaving the showerhead filled Ryou’s ears. His eyelids became heavy. Gently, his head rested against the tile wall.

It was still cold.

_Wakey, wakey,_ A voice hummed in Ryou’s ear, lulling him out of his state of unconsciousness. HIs eyes blinked open, and he moved his arm to shield his eyes from the bright light above him only to find that he couldn’t move it. Nor could he move his other one. _What…_ He murmured, trying to find something familiar to remind him of where he was, but came up short. He felt heat on his right side. Ryou turned his head slightly, only to jump when he was met with a pair of eyes. He nearly tipped the chair over in the process, but a force caught it and pushed it down before it could. _Relax, Investigator. Don’t get so excited._ Ryou immediately recognized the voice. He looked down to find his arms and legs tightly secured to the chair he was sitting in. He didn’t remember sitting down, but he certainly remembered that voice. He remembered those eyes and he remembered that face. _What the fuck do you think you’re doing?_ Ryou demanded, struggling to keep his eyes on Bakura as he started to walk behind him. He turned his head, but his neck could only go so far. _Such language from such a soft spoken gentleman._ Ryou turned his head the other way as he heard Bakura walking, coming around the otherside. _Or maybe I was wrong about you._ Ryou glared at Bakura, watching distastefully as he reached out and grabbed his tie, gliding it through his fingers and stopping before it would fall from them. Ryou struggled in his seat, attempting to tug his arms free. _Ah, Ah, Ah._ Bakura yanked on Ryou’s tie, lurching him forward. Ryou clenched his teeth as Bakura leaned closer to him, their noses nearly touching. It was too close. Ryou tried to move his head back, but Bakura held him in place. _You can’t possibly want to leave so soon. You just got here._ As Bakura let go of his tie, he shoved Ryou back carelessly. _Let me go, Bakura,_ Ryou challenged, continuing to glare at him even though his back was turned. _You know you can’t do two kills in one night. It’s too risky. You’ll-_  
_\--Get caught?_ Bakura turned around, smirking lazily at Ryou as he slid on a pair of shiny black latex gloves, allowing the elastic bottoms to snap against his wrist. _You’re not as smart as I thought._ Bakura turned back around, moving things on some sort of table that Ryou couldn’t see. Ryou squinted, trying to figure out what it was Bakura was getting at. What was he missing? Ryou looked left, right, but saw no one else in the room. The room was huge, some kind of abandoned storage room. Ryou’s eyes slowly widened when it dawned on him what was going on. His hands twisted in their bonds, searching for a way to break the duct tape holding them down. Bakura turned around holding a roll of duct tape. He raised a knowing brow when he saw how quickly Ryou’s demeanor had changed. He laughed. _Looks like I outsmarted the investigator! The only man for the job! The only one who got close enough!_ Ryou squirmed as Bakura moved closer, but he was sure to watch his every move. _You’re making a mistake,_ Ryou said, leaning away from Bakura’s outstretched hand, but it was no use. Latex made contact with his skin, grabbing at his face just under his jaw, forcing his head upwards. The grip tightened firmly when Ryou tried to struggle, the vice-like grasp alone changing the tone of the interaction. Bakura’s crimson eyes lidded lustfully as he gazed down at Ryou. _No, Touzoku Ryou._ Still grasping Ryou’s face, Bakura brought the roll of duct tape to his mouth and bit on the end, pulling the tape open. The sound was loud, invasive, and echoed in the empty room. He ripped it off, the piece hanging from his mouth as he relieved Ryou’s face of his hold in favor of grabbing the tape piece with both hands. Ryou turned his head to the side, fighting the inevitable. The tape collided with his lips, Bakura’s gloved fingers smoothing it out across Ryou’s face before gently tilting it upward, holding it with care he hadn’t shown before.  
_I think you’re the one who made a mistake._

Water splashed onto his face, seeping into his nose and mouth. Ryou gasped, coughing and choking, spitting up the water that had tried to trickle down his throat.

His vision was blurry, but after blinking a few times and moving his head out of the flow of water, he remembered that he was in his bathroom. Ryou pinched skin that was closest to him. In this case, he pinched his thigh.

Looking down he saw himself sitting on the floor of the tub, not completely registering the issue with that.

The water coming out of the shower was no longer hot as it had been before, but ice cold. Ryou shivered, slowly leaning forward to grasp the shower handles, turning them to shut the water off.

His head ran under the flow of water briefly, but for some reason he felt a sting. He flinched slightly, his hand moving to touch the spot that pained him. When he looked down, he saw red in the tub, trailing into the drain with the leftover water.

Ryou’s eyes widened and slowly he brought his hand back down, finding his fingertips were coated in blood.

“Shit,” He mumbled to himself, grasping the edge of the tub in an attempt to stand.

_You sure have lost a lot of blood. I wonder if you’ll be alive when I come back._

Ryou’s limbs were shaky, feeling foreign. Slowly, he rose, leaning against the wall for balance.

_Okay, Ryou. We’re going to stand now, okay? I’ve got you._

Ryou closed his eyes for a moment, peeking them open to map out his next move. His towel hung by the door and the bath mat was the safest option to avoid slipping. Carefully, Ryou raised a leg over the tub, landing it securely on the mat.

_Maybe going alone isn’t such a good idea._

Still leaning against the wall, Ryou brought his other leg out and onto the mat. He stood there, looking down at the soft, white material of the bath mat. Drops of red dripped from his head, staining the pure white.

_Wouldn’t want to bring any stains home, now, do I?_

Ryou shifted his body weight to lean on the sink, maneuvering his way toward the door to grab his towel. He wrapped it around himself, slowly pat drying his skin.

_How did you survive? Where is he now?_

The towel he was using became stained as well, but Ryou didn’t care much. He dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. When he looked up, he was met with his reflection staring back at him. A trail of blood leaked out from a cut on the side of his head just above the eyebrow, the sight of it causing Ryou to become aware that he should be feeling pain. The cut throbbed. Ryou winced as he poked it with his finger.

“Well,” He sighed, “That’s not good.”

Ryou leaned over the sink, watching as drips of red still kept falling, tainting the white porcelain. Logical thinking still felt very far away from him, but Ryou was able to remember that the first thing he needed to do was stop the bleeding.

Ryou opened up the medicine cabinet, grabbing a roll of gauze and some bandages. When he closed the cabinet, he was once again met with his reflection, but also a glimpse of someone else.

He jumped at the sight of a too familiar grin, his lidded eyes and shiny black gloves.

Ryou nearly fell backwards, his back pressing up against the cold wall. He dropped his medical supplies, but he didn’t care. His hands sprawled out, supporting his body weight as his chest expanded and contracted with his quick, heavy breathing. When nothing happened, he stared into the mirror only to see himself in a way he didn’t care for at all.

His eyes were wide, frightened. His body looked much thinner than he remembered it being, tense and stiff. He saw no fight within him, only fear. When he comprehended that it was just himself in the mirror, his body relaxed, his expression falling into disgust and disappointment.

Was that really what he looked like now?

Ryou would have cried had he not already disappointed himself. Was this his life now? Remembering things from the past, unable to discern memories from the present? Falling down in the shower like some frail, old man?

He was an investigator! He used to run every day, used to eat huge breakfasts, used to go out and have a drink or two with Malik more frequently than one spur of the moment evening. What happened to all of it? What happened to him?

_You’re making a mistake._

_No, Touzoku Ryou._

Ryou quickly looked away from the mirror in favor of picking up his fallen supplies, quickly unraveling the gauze so he could hold it up to his wound, dabbing at it gently to soak up the blood, tossing the soiled wad into the trash can once it had done all that it could. He repeated this a few more times until it seemed the bleeding had ceased. He then neatly folded up a layer of gauze, placing it gently over the cut on his head and holding it there with his right hand. Ryou picked up a roll of medical tape, bringing it to his mouth to bite on the edge, unraveling the tape.

The sound was loud, invasive, and echoed in the empty room. He ripped it off, the piece hanging from his mouth.

Gently, Ryou covered the gauze and secured it with the tape, leaning in to check his work.

“Looks like you’re the one who made a mistake,” He murmured to himself, taking one last look at his unfamiliar reflection. With a sigh, he looked away to address the mess he’d made in the tub.

The bump to the head combined with the loss of blood was causing him to feel woozy, but Ryou knew he probably shouldn’t try falling asleep until he ate something and hydrated. Before that, though, he turned the shower head back on and cleaned up the mess in the tub. It didn’t take him too long, for the blood simply washed away. The bath mat and towel were a different story, though, but Ryou knew he couldn’t do much about them.

He left them there, figuring he would take care of it in the morning.

Ryou put on his pajamas, preferring long sleeves and warmer materials on account of having soaked in cold water for who knew how long.

The time meant nothing to him. He couldn’t remember what time he’d gotten home. Checking the clock hadn’t crossed his mind.

Still shaky and leaning on the walls for support, Ryou walked into his kitchen to grab a glass of water and a banana. He started to feel better after eating and decided that he was okay to fall asleep.

… 

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

Ryou felt vibrating near his head, rudely awakening him from his deep sleep.

Perhaps it was a little too deep.

He opened his eyes to see the sun shining in his room. That wasn’t a good sign. He never left for work seeing the sun.

Grabbing his phone, Ryou found that Malik had called him quite a few times in the span of ten minutes. 

“Fuck,” He mumbled, quickly dialing him back and putting the phone up to his ear. He turned to look at his clock, finding the time read 8:00am.

“Sh--Malik? Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’m coming. I just slept late, I’m sorry. Yeah. Sorry.”

Ryou sighed deeply as he set his phone down, rubbing his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a few spots of red on his pillow, causing him to frown. He poked at his head, feeling the bandage he’d put there the night before.

So it wasn’t just a bad dream.

Ryou groaned as he stood, trying to quickly figure out some way to hide his head. Malik wouldn’t be very happy to see Ryou come in with a bandage on his head and Ryou wouldn’t be happy going into work like that, either.

Time was of the essence, though, because Ryou’s work day technically started at 8:30.

Quickly, Ryou slipped on a t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Not ideal for going into work, but he had gotten blood on his good work pants. He didn’t care if he looked underdressed. What Ryou cared about was heading to the bathroom to deal with his wound that was still leaking.

When he looked in the mirror, the gauze had a brown spot in the middle of it. Carefully, Ryou removed it, dabbed at the cut a few times, and replaced it with a large bandaid. It was much easier to hide than a puffy piece of gauze.

Ryou checked the time again, swearing under his breath as he made his way to his closet, throwing things out of it in search of some kind of hat. On a high shelf in the back was an old baseball cap he never wore. He jumped, grabbed it, and shoved it on his head.

Before he left he checked to see if the band-aid was well hidden, happy to see that it was.

Swiftly, he left his apartment and drove to the office, making it there five minutes after 8:30.

Ryou exited his car and jogged inside, out of breath once he’d reached the second floor. His hand hovered over the golden doorknob to their office suite. Swallowing, Ryou grasped it and opened it up, immediately feeling eyes on him.

“Hey! Touzoku!” Katsuya goofily called from his own office. His desk faced a window looking out into the lobby.

Ryou wished he hadn’t said anything. As soon as he called his name, Ryou saw Malik exit his own office, staring Ryou down all the way from the end of the hall.

“Hey,” Ryou greeted, awkwardly waving his hand as he briskly made his way to his office, wishing desperately he could go back in time and choose the office Malik had versus the one at the very end of the hallway. There was no avoiding him.

Ryou walked down the hall, deciding to try and play it casual.

He approached Malik, who looked highly suspicious.

“What are you wearing?” He asked, lip curling in disgust. “Are those… Black jeans?”

Ryou scratched the back of his head, having a hard time making eye contact with him. He shrugged, following Malik’s eyes and looking down at his pants.

“Uh… Yeah. I forgot to do laundry.” Ryou looked up at Malik, making the brutal mistake of catching eye contact. Malik narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“And a hat?”

Ryou nodded. “Yep.”

Malik wasn’t impressed. He studied Ryou, head tilting side to side only to stop at the right. “Is that--” His anger subsided into worry, which Ryou dreaded.

Malik sighed heavily and stepped to the side, guiding Ryou into his office so as to not make a scene.

“Alright. Take it off,” Malik said, shutting the door and standing in front of Ryou with his arms crossed.

“Take what off?”

Ryou could see Malik clench his jaw, clearly annoyed.

“The hat, Ryou. Take it off.”

Ryou, knowing it wouldn’t help him, moved backwards anyway, hoping maybe Malik will give up and drop the subject.

“I just found it in my closet,” Ryou defended, “I thought it would spice things up a little.”

“Ryou-” Malik sighed in annoyance, shaking his head, “Come on. Just take it off.”

Ryou kept backing up and Malik kept moving forward.

“No,” Ryou said bluntly.

Malik was taken off guard for a brief moment. He scoffed, smiling but more out of confusion than any kind of positive emotion.

“No? Take it off, Ryou.”

“I-I don’t want to.”

“For fuck’s sake-”

Frustrated, Malik walked up to Ryou and abruptly removed the baseball cap, his anger subsiding momentarily as he saw a small drip of blood slowly slide out of the band-aid and down the side of Ryou’s face.

“Ryou, what-”

“I fell,” Ryou quickly explained. “I tripped and fell. I’m fine. It looks worse than it actually is.”

Malik stared at him, quiet. Ryou could tell he was studying him, looking for any sign that it wasn’t just a fall. Apparently he found it. Ryou didn’t know how, but he did. Malik always did.

“Please just tell me what’s going on,” Malik pleaded, any anger he had subsiding.

Ryou wasn’t sure he liked that.

Malik was always giving him sugar coated emotions. Ryou could tell he was still mad. Malik looked like he had wanted to strangle Ryou before, and maybe he would have if the circumstances were different.

“Can you just be mad at me?” Ryou asked, shaking his head as he turned away from Malik. “You look at me like-like, I don’t know! Like I could fall apart if you talk too loud. I won’t, Malik. I won’t fall apart.”

“Okay, then tell me what really happened. You’re the one always hiding things from me.”

Ryou scoffed, turning around to face Malik again. “First of all, I don’t “hide” things from you. Second, I told you. I _fell_.”

Malik crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side.

“You had another episode, didn’t you.”

Ryou balled the only hand he could into a fist, but quickly relaxed. It was no use getting angry. Malik was always good at keeping his cool. Ryou was no match for him. He stayed quiet, silently admitting defeat.

Malik nodded, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“How did it happen?”

Ryou couldn’t look at Malik anymore. He stubbornly stared at the floor, his hands fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket.

“I was in the shower,” He mumbled, “I slipped.”

Ryou wasn’t looking, but he could practically feel Malik’s face contort into a worried frown.

“Do you know what happened? How long were you out?”

Ryou didn’t want to talk about it because, frankly, he didn’t exactly know either.

“I don’t know. I… I don’t remember falling, but I woke up in the tub and I was bleeding.”

Malik hummed with uncertainty, gently placing Ryou’s hat on his desk. “Do you know what happens before these episodes? What were you doing before you got in the shower?”

“I don’t know!” Ryou raised his voice, feeling on edge and defensive for some reason that he just couldn’t pin down. He didn’t want to think so hard about it. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to know what was happening.

“Okay, okay. Ryou calm down-”

_Relax, Investigator._

“No!” Ryou stepped away from Malik, trying to find something to lean on. “I-I can’t calm down!”

Malik was shocked by Ryou’s sudden shouting, nervously glancing over his shoulder to see that the whole suite had once again crowded outside the window of his office. He put his hands out, slowly walking toward Ryou to try and get him to sit down.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to calm down. Talk to me.”

_Are you sure that’s who he’s after?_

_I’ve waited for this a long time. I’m glad you’re so predictable._

Ryou stared at Malik, suddenly aware of his heartbeat, how fast it was going and how close it was to his chest. “I don’t-- I don’t understand…”

_I’ve never seen a man of the law tremble in fear like this._ Bakura laughed, standing beside Ryou as he held his head in one hand and pointed a knife to his throat with the other. _So typical. You see such terrible things every day, but when it happens to you, you just don’t know how to act, do you?_

_You’re sure this is the person he’s after?_ Malik asked, brow furrowed in concentration as he studied Ryou’s bulletin board. _Yes. He’s been following that guy for months. It’s funny, I actually bumped into him by accident once,_ Ryou chuckled, but Malik didn’t find it at all amusing. _What? That’s dangerous! Did he know who you were?_ Ryou waved a hand in dismissal, closing up Bakura’s file and stuffing it into his bag. _No. It was brief. I was getting coffee and he bumped into me on my way out. Actually, it was kind of thrilling._ Malik rolled his eyes and lightly smacked Ryou in the back of the head, causing Ryou to laugh. _You get too close, Ryou. You follow these guys like they follow their victims._ Ryou shrugged at that, fastening his bag over his shoulder as he was getting ready to leave. _Maybe, but sometimes you have to think like a killer to catch a killer. Right?_

“Can you hear me? Ryou?”

Ryou opened up his eyes, finding himself staring up at Malik’s beautiful lilac gaze. He nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah,” He breathed. “I can hear you.”

Malik sighed with relief, leaning back to sit on his knees. Ryou blinked a few times, figuring out that he was lying on the floor from his view of the ceiling. Slowly, he sat up, still feeling his heart beating, but not so violently.

Neither one of the investigators said a word to each other. Ryou knew he had done it again and was afraid of how long he was out. He could sense that Malik wanted to say something. He turned, looking at Malik expectantly.

“Whatever it is, just tell me,” Ryou said, his voice soft.

Malik, gently, moved some strands of Ryou’s hair out of his face.

“Ryou, I don’t think you should come back to work. Not…” He gently moved his hand down to hold Ryou’s, giving it a small squeeze. “Not until we get this under control.”

Ryou, honestly, hadn’t expected that to be Malik’s answer. He shook his head, but he didn’t remove his hand from Malik’s. Malik’s hands were always so warm. He never wanted to let go.

“No, I-I’m okay!” Ryou opened his mouth to continue, but he felt something wet roll down his face.

“You’re bleeding,” Malik said, gently separating their hands so that he could stand up. “We need to get you home.”

“But--”

“No. Being here isn’t good for you. This has never happened before, not even at the hospital or anything. It’s not worth risking your safety.”

Ryou scoffed in disbelief, grabbing Malik’s offered hand to help him stand up.

“You know what our job is, right? Our whole purpose is to risk our safety.”

Malik shook his head, reluctant to let go of Ryou’s hand even after he was already standing upright.

“I almost lost you once. I’m not going to make that same mistake again.”

Ryou’s breath caught in his throat, Malik’s words ringing some kind of familiarity.

_I think you’re the one who made a mistake._

Ryou glanced down at their hands then back up at Malik, not having anything to say in response. He nodded, unwilling to let Malik’s hand go when he started moving away. They were standing in the same room, but he felt so far away.

Any remaining feeling of sorrow Ryou might have felt then dissipated. He didn’t show it, but he was angry. Not at Malik, not at himself, but at the man responsible for it all.

Bakura.

Ryou had always known of Malik’s guilt. He thought it was because he wanted to help, wanted to make things better for Ryou, which, of course he did. Ryou knew that, but what he just realized was that Malik’s guilt ran much deeper than that.

Malik thought it was his fault. Malik felt guilty because he thought he could have stopped Ryou from going to find Bakura that night. Ryou understood now, but he didn’t agree with it. Not at all.

There was nothing Malik could have done to keep Ryou from going that night. Even if he’d locked him in his office, Ryou would have found a way to jump out of the window.

As Malik guided Ryou out of the office, outside, and to his car, Ryou couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Bakura.

Bakura had not only ruined Ryou’s life, which he could deal with for the most part, but he’d hurt Malik in the process. Ryou wasn’t sure he could just let that go. Maybe it was irrational. Maybe it was stupid of him to become so upset over this new perspective, but Ryou felt like the only way to alleviate it was to find Bakura again.

Everything was different because of Bakura. Malik was hesitant to interact with Ryou and they were both afraid of letting go of each other.

Malik drove Ryou home in Ryou’s car. Ryou knew he probably shouldn’t have driven to work in the first place with his head bleeding the way it was.

The energy in the car was uncomfortable, though. It was nowhere near where it had been the day before. Ryou could feel whenever Malik glanced over at him, but he chose to ignore it in favor of looking out the window to brood.

Why couldn’t he remember any important information? He had hunted Bakura down for almost a whole year. Ryou expected himself to remember key clues, specific evidence, all of the patterns, the timing, the current date-- But no matter how hard he tried he kept coming up blank. He had avoided it all for too long. That, or he didn’t actually want to remember anything, and so his hippocampus was doing him a huge favor in wiping the slate clean.

Where was Bakura? How could he have left no trace? That was one thing Ryou remembered. Bakura cleaned up well. Too well. He wore gloves, burned his clothes, tied his stupid hair back. He did it all. Anything one could think of to hide evidence of a crime, Bakura did. Except for the body, of course.

Ryou remembered examining the most recent victim, the one before him. The neighboring city’s police department had kept the body in a morgue when they made plans to transfer the case into Domino.

From the body alone, Ryou had inferred that all the cuts, the marks on the chest, the arms, the face--They had all been made with the same knife, but no knife was found at the scene.

Ryou was sure that, because Malik had managed to find him before Bakura’s kill cycle had been completed, more than enough evidence would be traced back to him, but there was none. All that was left at the scene was Ryou’s DNA, Ryou’s wallet and Ryou’s gun.

The worst part of it was, even if they had caught Bakura, Ryou’s witness account might have been enough to convict him of attempted murder, but probably not enough to convict him for the other murders. It made Ryou sick to think about. It made him angry.

Bakura was walking around freely somewhere, either in Domino or somewhere else. He didn’t have to deal with anything after the fact. He didn’t have to deal with scars, with memories. He didn’t have to deal with friends and coworkers treating him differently, looking at him as though he had come back from the dead. That’s what everyone was saying.

Ryou might as well have been dead. He sure as hell hadn’t been feeling alive lately.

Except maybe the day before.

Ryou’s right hand twitched as he recalled the previous day’s events. He longed for Malik’s touch. He wished the other would reach out and hold his hand again. That was probably the only sympathy Ryou felt comfortable receiving from Malik.

He had been thinking so hard about both Bakura and Malik, he hadn’t even realized the car had stopped.

“Do you mind if I come up with you?” Malik asked. Ryou was bothered by the hesitance in his tone.

He shrugged. “You can if you want.”

Ryou was the first to get out of the car and in the back of his mind he reminded himself that he didn’t really have a choice on whether or not Malik could come up. It was either that or he would sit in Ryou’s car, waiting for his sister to come pick him up, no doubt.

It wasn’t that Ryou didn’t want to be around Malik. It was that he knew Malik would be fussing over his injury. He was probably going to disinfect it and rebandage it in the perfectionist way that he did most things.

Before Ryou knew it he was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, Malik standing over him and unraveling a roll of bandages.

“You should throw these things away,” Malik commented in regards to the stained bath mat and towels, “I don’t think that’ll come out.”

Ryou simply hummed in response. Malik leaned in to gently pull the bandaid off of Ryou’s head, causing Ryou to wince as his skin was pulled along with it.

“Shit. I’m sorry,” Malik mumbled, preoccupied with trying to take the bandaid off in the least painful way possible. He laughed lightly, taking Ryou’s mind off the pain for a brief moment.

“Although, it probably wasn’t a good idea to slap a bandaid on this.”

Ryou let out a puff of air through his nose in place of a laugh. He chose to look down at the floor, growing uncomfortable the more he became aware of how focused Malik’s gaze was. He could feel heat in his face each time Malik’s fingers lightly brushed against his skin, each time they gently stroked his hair back and out of the way.

Malik managed to get the bandaid off with minimal pain on Ryou’s end. He clicked his tongue in disappointment, reaching for the gauze.

“It’s still bleeding, but it isn’t too bad.”

Gently, Malik pressed the gauze to the cut, soaking up the blood.

Ryou hadn’t realized it, but he was frowning. His brow was furrowed and his cheeks were pink. He saw Malik smirk from his peripheral vision.

“What’s wrong?” Malik asked, taking Ryou off guard. The muscles in Ryou’s face instantly relaxed.

Still, Ryou could only look at Malik for a brief moment. His eyes quickly darted back to the floor once he caught sight of Malik’s.

“Nothing. I’m just-I don’t know.” Ryou brought his hands together in his lap, idly picking at his nails.

“It’s embarrassing,” He mumbled. “I can’t even take care of myself.”

Malik frowned, removing the soiled gauze and reaching for another.

“You can take care of yourself.” Malik smirked again, gently placing the new gauze on Ryou’s wound to soak up the remaining drops of blood. “Just not as good as the way I take care of you.”

Ryou snorted, trying his best not to move around too much for Malik’s sake.

“Shut up,” He mumbled, no malice in his tone, “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve been complaining about it for a year now.”

Malik checked the cut once more to be sure all bleeding had been stopped. When he was satisfied, he grabbed the unraveled bunch of bandages.

“Speaking of complaining,” he continued, “You’re going to hate this, but it’s better to do it this way. At least just for today. I’m just gonna wrap these bandages around your head, alright?”

Ryou let out a heavy sigh. “If you must.”

Malik then proceeded to expertly wrap Ryou’s head. He was much better at caring for wounds and things like that than Ryou was. Malik had a lot of training in emergency care, considering he had trained to be an EMT in uni. He never followed through with it, probably because Ryou had talked him into delving deeper into investigation and the crime world.

Malik would never admit it, but Ryou always knew he enjoyed helping people. During tough cases, especially ones involving death and murder, Malik was there to talk to families and friends. Ryou struggled with socialization and often rushed the witnesses unknowingly, but Malik was kind and patient. When he needed to be, that is.

With Ryou, he could be kind and patient, such was the case while he was wrapping his head, but they were close enough to the point where Malik wasn’t afraid to get his way. At least, he never used to be. Ryou wasn’t so sure anymore.

“There we go,” Malik said when he was finished with Ryou’s bandages. “That’ll keep it from bleeding again and give it a chance to heal.”

Ryou imagined he probably looked ridiculous with bandages around his head, so he chose to avoid the mirror as Malik walked him out of the bathroom.

“I think maybe you should lie down,” Malik commented before Ryou could turn to the left to head into the living room. Ryou pressed his lips into a thin line.

“That’s it? I’m just supposed to sleep all day?”

“Yeah,” Malik said bluntly, clear that he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. “You are.”

Ryou resisted the urge to roll his eyes and he turned to the right to head into his bedroom. Malik followed him and made sure he was settled down in the bed. Ryou kicked off his shoes and made himself comfortable, sinking back into his pillow. Malik stared at him and Ryou smirked back.

“Are you going to tuck me in, too?”

Malik rolled his eyes.

“No,” He said with a hum, walking to the other side of Ryou’s full size mattress, “But I think I may nap with you.”

Malik set himself down, laying on his side to face Ryou. They looked at eachother, unable to help but laugh.

“Do you remember doing this on my twin bed?” Malik asked, chuckling after. “I was smaller back then, though.”

Ryou turned his head a little, but couldn’t lay on his side lest he risk laying on his cut.

“Of course I remember. You were taking care of me back then, too.”

His smile grew somber, for he suddenly didn’t feel like he had done anything but cause trouble for Malik all these years, but he quickly left that thought behind as Malik shifted closer.

Ryou watched as Malik hesitantly raised his arm, slowly laying it over Ryou’s chest.

“Is this okay?” He asked.

Ryou didn’t mind until Malik relaxed, suddenly aware of the weight on his body and, more specifically, where it was. Ryou squinted, feeling uncomfortable as the fabric of his clothes rubbed against the scarring on his chest. It was very menial, but enough to make Ryou’s skin crawl.

“Um.” He gently grabbed Malik’s wrist and moved his arm lower so that it was across his stomach. The weight felt more comfortable there. Safe and warm.

“There,” Ryou murmured, “There is fine.”

Malik nodded, snuggling into the bed before being the first to close his eyes.

“I’ll call Isis later,” He said, letting out a sigh that Ryou could tell he’d been holding in for a long time. “If you don’t mind.”

Ryou smiled a bit, moving his hand to place it over Malik’s.

“No. I don’t mind.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like :-)


	3. Chapter 3

…

It had been three days; A friday and the weekend. Malik stayed at Ryou’s apartment most of the time to make sure Ryou wasn’t showing signs of a concussion or anything like that. 

It wasn’t completely unbearable, though. Malik made Ryou lunch and brought him coffee in the mornings. Ryou only had one more file of paperwork to complete and he planned on finishing it up so he could start Monday with a clean slate and, hopefully, a new case.

Although, even if he started a new case, it certainly wouldn’t stop Ryou’s search for Bakura.

He hadn’t seen nor heard any more from him. No more letters, no notes, nothing.

Ryou had gotten dressed and ready for the day, but decided to use the extra time in the morning to examine the paper that was left on his car.

He hadn’t studied it much. Looking at it for too long made him nauseous, but he knew that if he was going to get anywhere with it, more work would have to be put into it.

There were no handwriting samples from Bakura, so analyzing the “found you” or the written name on the envelope wouldn’t prove to be very useful.

No, like his previous experience with Bakura, he was going to have to look deeper.

He decided to start with how the newspaper was cut. The edge was clean, no sign of tearing or ripping. Cutting something out with scissors would be jagged or on a diagonal of some sort.

Ryou raised a brow. He wished he had studied it closer sooner.

The newspaper was most likely cut with an exacto knife. Odd, definitely, but very Bakura.

He felt his finger along the edge of the paper, feeling the clean, straight cut. It probably wasn’t very smart, for the evenly cut paper sliced his finger open once he reached the edge.

Ryou winced, setting the paper down in favor of squeezing his finger, watching the blood pool at the surface the harder he squeezed.

He never really thought about how much blood was inside of him, pumping through his veins over and over, until he felt it running out.

It was slow. Fast at first when the knife sliced into his skin. It spilled out, but once the red reached the surface, it was slow to drip down his skin.

The blood on his finger did just that. It became too much in one place. Gravity started to do its job, pulling the pool of blood down along the length of his index finger.

Ryou watched it for a moment, time around him seeming to go by slower according to the pace of the droplet.

A knock at the door caught his attention, though. Ryou turned to look out his bedroom doorway, not quite processing the fact that he had to answer said door.

He sucked in a breath, the sudden urge to rush overcoming him.

“J-Just a minute!” He called out, holding his finger in the other hand as he raced to the bathroom.

Quickly, Ryou wrapped some toilet paper around his finger, holding it there as he ran back to his bedroom to carelessly stuff the envelope and marked up newspaper clipping back into his nightstand.

He quickly made his way to the front door, opening it up and greeting Malik with an attempt at a smile.

Malik wasn’t expecting the door to open so quickly, since Ryou practically whipped it open. He raised a brow, already suspicious of Ryou even before they’ve exchanged any words.

“Good morning,” Malik said, inviting himself inside since that had been the routine. He looked around the apartment, probably expecting it to be a mess or for something to be out of place.

“Morning,” Ryou replied, gently closing the door. The makeshift toilet paper wrapping fell out of his hand and onto the floor. Before Ryou even had the chance to pick it up, Malik turned around to stare at him, pointing at the white ball of paper with a red stain on it.

“What’s that?” He asked, his voice already laced with worry, “Are you bleeding?”

Ryou rolled his eyes, snatching the paper from the ground. “Yeah. I got a paper cut.”

He pointed to the kitchen table that was littered with papers. Thankfully Ryou rarely cleaned up after he was done working.

“Let me see.”

Malik moved closer to Ryou but Ryou quickly turned his shoulder toward him, cradling his hand.

“Stop that,” He said, not necessarily irritated, but there was a warning in his tone. “It’s just a paper cut. No head injuries today, sorry.”

Malik must have realized he was being over dramatic because he backed off.

“Right. Sorry,” He chuckled, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Malik started to make his way into the kitchen, setting his bag down on the table before taking a peek at the papers sprawled out before him.

“Hm, someone’s been busy after hours,” He said, eyeing Ryou as he walked into the kitchen as well.

“Yeah, well, I want to get it over with. I didn’t think the paperwork would take so long.”

Ryou sighed, applying pressure to his finger with the toilet paper once more, checking to see if the bleeding had stopped. Satisfied, he tossed the paper into the trash.

“Do you want some breakfast?” Ryou asked, headed toward the fridge.

“No, I’m good.”

Malik watched as Ryou pulled out a bottle of orange juice, placing it on the counter.

“How is your head, by the way?” Malik then asked. Ryou could sense the hesitance in his voice, the slight cracking at the end not helping, either.

“It’s fine,” He replied, emphasizing the word to mimic annoyance. While it was irksome to have Malik ask him how he was doing every day, Ryou knew a head injury was valid to worry about. If their positions were switched, Ryou was sure he would be doing the same.

“It’s scabbed over now. Wanna see?”

Ryou turned around, lifting the bangs out of his face to show Malik his forehead. The cut wasn’t too big and nasty, but it was still unsightly and he knew it would make Malik squirm.

“Gross,” Malik said with a snort, smiling due to the fact that Ryou was comfortable to joke around about otherwise heavy subjects.

It certainly made things less awkward, but it didn’t work with Malik all the time such as when Ryou was in the hospital.

“I actually feel fine. I’m basically indestructible now. Go ahead, send any killer in here and I’ll—”

“Ryou, this is serious,” Malik had urged, standing above Ryou’s hospital bed. His face was scrunched into a disapproving frown.

Ryou couldn’t stand to look at him like that, not after experiencing the most longing he’d ever had for him. They were apart for nearly three days, but Ryou felt like it had been weeks.

“We have to talk about it. I know it’s hard, but it could help us find him.”

Malik moved his hand toward Ryou’s forehead, intending on brushing some of his hair out of the way, but Ryou flinched, averting his gaze.

“Nothing I tell you will help you find him,” He mumbled, wincing as he shifted in the bed. “I would have told you everything that would be useful.”

Ryou could feel Malik’s eyes, could sense his tension and the strain in his throat.

“It’s not good to keep this kind of stuff to yourself,” Malik said, gently lowering himself onto the bed to sit next to Ryou. “You don’t have to tell me now or soon or later. Just.. whenever you’re ready, I’ll be right here.”

Ryou didn’t like to make a big deal out of his so-called “situation” and so pretending to not be affected by it was much more comfortable than dealing with it head on.

Although, in this case, his minor head injury wasn’t weighing too heavily on him, nor was it weighing too heavily on Malik considering he was laughing along with Ryou.

Ryou gave his orange juice bottle a shake, busying himself with pouring a glass while Malik took a seat at the table.

“Once you finish your paperwork, I have a new client that we can meet together. I think it’ll be a quick case for us, but it’s something new.”

Ryou nodded in response, sitting himself down across from Malik with his glass of orange juice.

A new case, even though it sounded much more appealing than the paperwork he’d been doing, was not something he desired.

Ryou didn’t want to put energy into something new when he had so many stones left unturned.

Well, maybe just one stone.

One big, huge boulder.

… 

The day went by just as slow as the past three had. Ryou and Malik sat quietly in the kitchen while they did their work, chatting every now and then and reminiscing old cases that came up in Ryou’s paperwork.

Even though Ryou should have been occupied with his work, making sure he wasn’t making any mistakes in his writing or filling out the wrong form, he was thinking about Bakura.

Did he know where he lived? Did he want to finish the job?

After all these months, Ryou always did wonder what Bakura was doing.

Where did he live? What did he do before the stalking phase?

Before Bakura’s face got out to the public, Ryou figured out that he would roam the streets freely. He had roamed Domino’s streets freely for a while, until a witness from the previous city had described Bakura to a police sketch artist.

Apparently, he would meet his victims in public places. He’d bump into them, study them briefly before becoming obsessed with every move they made.

Ryou couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. The bump in with Bakura had been completely by accident for himself, but it hadn’t been for Bakura.

It was hard to see it that way, though, especially when he’d been so used to viewing cases from an outside perspective. His taking of Bakura’s case wasn’t even public.

That had always bothered Ryou.

How did Bakura know?

“Ryou, are you alright?” Malik asked. When Ryou looked up at him he understood why he brought it up. His brow had become tense and he was practically glaring at his paper. The muscles in his face relaxed as he nodded.

“Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

Malik hummed in response, lowering his head to continue his own work.

Ryou didn’t look back down, though. He watched Malik, assessing his energy and mood.

They had eaten lunch a while ago, so food had probably settled in his stomach. There were only about three hours left in the work day.

Maybe now would be a good time to remind Malik. To just bring it up to him that Bakura’s case wasn’t something to ignore for long.

It was weird, though, because in a way, Ryou felt like he was lying. Withholding information was technically lying, but what else was he supposed to do?

If he chose to show Malik what was left on his windshield, he’d only worry more. He might even consider some kind of witness protection.

Ryou didn’t want to run away from it, though. He didn’t want to hide.

He wanted to face Bakura head on. He wanted to see the look on his face when Ryou had the last laugh, whatever that may be. Ryou hadn’t thought about his plan to capture Bakura yet, but getting those files back was the first step.

It was decided.

Ryou licked his lips, his mouth starting to feel dry.

“You know,” He started, feeling his heart thump anxiously. He tapped his pen on the table. “Bakura is going to start killing again.”

There was an awkward silence, Ryou ceasing to tap his pen for he was focused on holding his breath. He glanced up at Malik after not getting an answer for a while. He was still sitting in the same place, writing just as he was before. There was no indication that he heard and no indication that he was going to reply. Ryou scowled.

“Malik—”

“I heard you.”

Ryou felt his face grow warm and he couldn’t tell if it was because he was embarrassed about the situation or if he was angry. Why he would be feeling angry, he wasn’t sure, but there was something there, burning the tops of his ears uncomfortably.

“So why don’t you say anything,” Ryou continued when Malik didn’t address the conversation further.

Malik was still writing, taking his time before placing his pen down on the table. He looked up at Ryou with a disappointed and tired expression.

“What am I supposed to say to that?” He asked, grabbing his pen again and rolling his eyes. “We talked about this.”

Ryou scoffed. “Did we? I don’t think so. I think you cut the conversation short last time, just like you’re doing now. Well, I want to talk about it. There’s lives at stake and I think a little bit of urgency should be applied here.”

Malik’s face scrunched into a scowl, but Ryou could tell he was trying not to get angry. He held onto his pen, no longer writing, just holding onto it.

“You want to talk about it? Or you want to convince me to let you take the case again?”

Ryou huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms. “You said you would think about it. I think I deserve an answer, don’t I?”

“Ok, well, I thought about it, and no. You can’t work on it.”

Ryou wrinkled his nose. “What is your problem? I just asked. If I can’t work on it, then who is?”

Malik sighed again and looked up, catching Ryou’s eyes and practically holding them hostage. “It was transferred to the police department. Isis is going to find a team to work on it.”

At one point, Ryou would have thought that this information wouldn’t bother him. He would have accepted that it was gone, would have moved on and gotten himself involved in another case, but he just couldn’t grasp it.

Not only that, but Malik looked guilty.

They held eye contact, glaring at each other from across the small kitchen table, their papers forgotten about. Ryou raised a brow, tilting his head to the side slightly to study Malik’s face.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. I gave it to Isis.”

Ryou narrowed his eyes further.

“When did you do this? When were you going to tell me?”

Malik straightened up in his chair, tilting his head upward in an attempt to hold the upper hand through his height.

“A few days ago. If I’m honest, I was hoping you might have forgotten.”

Unexpectedly, Ryou let out a laugh. It was lifeless, moreso a reaction to the statement that just didn’t make any sense to him.

“Forgotten? You think I would forget something like this?” Ryou felt himself get angry again, not sure if he was wanting to, but found he was reaching a point where he might not be able to control it. He couldn’t control much of anything when it came to Bakura.

“Excuse me for not wanting someone out there to become his next victim,” Ryou continued, “Of course I’m thinking about it! And I’m worried they’re not going to find him in time!”

Malik was about to respond, but Ryou caught the look on his face. That stupid, guilty expression that didn’t belong there. It only made things worse.

“Would you stop looking at me like that!” Ryou nearly shouted, standing up now. “I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine! I can handle the case and I can handle going to work. I’m not some wounded animal.”

Malik didn’t appear to be at all angry, but worried. Ryou couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. He turned around, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the tile floor.

“Ryou…” Malik slowly stood up, taking the few steps it took to stand beside Ryou. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Can we start the conversation over?”

Ryou shook his head, frustrated. “No, no. Stop saying you’re sorry. What the hell are you sorry for?” 

Malik hesitantly reached his hands out, wanting to comfort Ryou in some way but not knowing how. It only made things worse. Ryou brushed his hands away and stepped out of the kitchen in order to make space between them.

“See? That’s what I mean. You don’t—Malik, you don’t have to try and fix me. You didn’t do any of this to me. You…” Ryou’s anger began to subside, and suddenly he felt small. When he looked at Malik, he saw him like he had that day.

_Stay awake for me, okay? I’m here now._

Just as Ryou had given up, Malik had walked through the door. His hands were so warm and gentle. He was so careful, so cautious in his approach. He stayed next to Ryou the whole time, talked to him as he cut the tape. His voice was so soft and smooth, Ryou thought he might have been dead already.

He thought Malik might have been there to take him away, to free him from his misery. Forever.

Ryou was bleeding, but Malik didn’t care. He helped Ryou stand and carried him out of the building.

_Okay, Ryou. We’re going to stand now, okay? I’ve got you._

“Ryou,” Malik said, causing Ryou to blink, only to find that he was already looking at Malik. They hadn’t moved, and Ryou wasn’t on the ground. In fact, he was aware of what he was thinking. He knew how long he’d been staring at Malik. He didn’t want to look away.

“You saved my life, Malik.” Ryou felt his throat tighten and his eyes welled up with tears. “How can you feel guilty after that?”

Malik just looked at Ryou, his expression unchanging, but Ryou could tell he was feeling just as distraught by the thought.

Finally, after staring at each other for another moment, Malik let out a sigh, slowly approaching Ryou and guiding him to the sofa.

They sat down, but Ryou kept to himself, leaning into the armrest. He looked down at his lap, watching his left hand twitch pathetically as he tried to wiggle his fingers.

It was quiet, but Ryou felt like he had said enough, so he waited for Malik to start the conversation again.

“I don’t mean to worry you,” Malik said, watching Ryou’s hand along with him, “It’s just that, sometimes, I think about what I could’ve done differently. I should have gone with you. I should have looked longer, I shouldn’t have let you go alone in the first place.”

Ryou shook his head. “You wouldn’t have been able to keep me from going. I would have snuck behind your back. I would have done anything to find him.”

There was a beat of silence.

“You still would. You still _are._ ” Malik laughed then, shaking his head in disbelief. Ryou looked up at him in confusion.

“Leave it to you to go through hell, come back, and still think about finding satan. Even after everything, you still want to involve yourself in this again?”

Ryou felt nauseous but only because Malik was right. He hated Bakura. He hated him so much, yet he was so hell-bent on finding him again. He wanted it so bad.

At this point, was it to solve the case? To put an end to it once and for all? Or did he want something more?

Ryou slowly nodded his head. “Yeah,” He said, very quietly, ashamed of his answer, “I do.”

Apparently, Malik wasn’t quite expecting that to be Ryou’s answer. His amusement faded into concern. He leaned in closer, gently grabbing Ryou’s right hand when he saw that he was rubbing his scar a little too much.

“Ryou… why?” Malik asked, lowering his voice into a whisper. “Why do you want to do that to yourself?”

Ryou could only shrug. He didn’t have the answer to that.

If he did actually see Bakura, what would even happen? Ryou wanted to think that he’d stand tall, point his gun, hold up the handcuffs and handle the situation once and for all, but that was exactly what he had thought last time.

Now, Ryou wouldn’t even be able to hold his gun right. He could hold it with his right hand, but what could he do with his left?

More importantly, what would he do if he came face to face with the man that ruined his life?

His lapses in memory were starting to have a pattern that he recognized. Whenever he thought about Bakura, whenever he remembered the “time” they’d spent together, he’d wake up on the floor.

If memories could do that, what would seeing the real thing do?

“I just… He ruined my life, Malik. I want to find him. I want to find him and…”

And what?

Arrest him?

The thought was laughable. Ryou knew it was bad. It was so very bad to think, especially as a man of the law, but Ryou wanted more than that.

A brief, fleeting thought of revenge passed through his mind and left as if it never came.

“And what, Ryou?” Malik asked, finding he didn’t like where the conversation was headed. He let go of Ryou’s hand and stood, adjusting his sleeves.

“You know what, never mind. It doesn’t matter. I transferred the file. You might as well just forget about it.”

Ryou blinked, not sure why Malik’s mood had shifted so drastically. He turned around on the sofa, watching Malik gather his things in the kitchen.

His confusion soured into anger. He still didn’t believe Malik one bit.

“You’re just saying that so I’ll stop asking,” Ryou said, getting up to meet Malik in the kitchen. “Look, if _you_ want to work on it—”

“No!”

Ryou stopped in his tracks when Malik shouted at him, startled into silence. They looked at each other from across the room, both tense and not wishing to move another step further.

Finally, Malik spoke again, packing up the rest of his things and throwing his bag over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbled, “But we’re not going to have this conversation again. It’s gone. That’s it.”

Ryou watched Malik make his way to the front door, but he didn’t move from his own spot.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And just like that, Malik left.

Ryou stared at the door, the muscles in his face slowly tensing up into a glare.

“So much for talking about it,” He grumbled to himself, finding that he was left with anger.

He looked around his empty apartment, not quite sure what to do with all of the pent up emotion building up inside him. He ground his teeth, a moment later grabbing his hair and tugging it as he walked to his bedroom, deciding to pace.

Malik was lying. Ryou knew him too well to believe that performance. Malik only ever got angry like that when he was lying. It was his defense mechanism.

So what did he do with the file?

Ryou groaned, flopping face first onto his bed, letting out a louder groan into his sheets.

It wasn’t like he _wanted_ to think about Bakura. If he could forget about the case, forget about Bakura, and forget about anything that ever happened, he would. Ryou would take that offer in a heartbeat.

But that wasn’t the case right now.

Time was running out, and it was most likely running out for him.

It seemed Bakura knew where he worked. What else did he know? The media didn’t exactly help Ryou in anyway, especially when it came to his personal privacy. They probably should have asked before they published anything, but as these things tend to go, they didn’t.

Ryou sighed and rolled over onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.

_I don’t think you’re as strong as you think you are._

His hands moved over his face to press his palms into his eyes for a brief moment. Then he raised them in the air, studying them.

His fingernails were short and his cuticles were shredded. Ryou had always been a nail biter, but lately his anxiety had been off the charts. He was never too concerned about it, but after taking a long look at them, he thought maybe he should start.

Of course, his eyes roamed over to the left hand and its stiff, twitchy fingers. He tried to remember what it was like having two working hands. How easy it was to drive, to hold his keys, to make breakfast.

_People often take them for granted. Hands, that is._

Ryou snorted. He dropped his arms to his sides, feeling the soft comforter beneath him.

The anger had subsided, leaving the space it had once filled empty.

He blinked, but it felt slow. The longer he stared at the ceiling, the more his face contorted into a frown. Tears gathered in his eyes, silently rolling down his cheeks to soak into the blanket beneath his head.

“I should be dead,” He whispered to himself, letting out a long sigh.

Quickly, he rubbed away his tears and sat up, staring at his lap.

“But I’m not.”

Ryou took in a deep breath and stood up, about to make his way to the kitchen to finish his work, but instead he turned his head to the right, staring at the nightstand beside his bed.

His fingers tapped against his leg, unable to keep themselves still as the urge to pull the drawer open grew more insistent.

Inevitably, Ryou caved.

He sat down on the bed again and took the newspaper clipping out of the drawer. He made himself comfortable, lying prostrate on his stomach to study the only piece of evidence that could lead him to Bakura.

Ryou already established the way the clipping was cut. Another thing he could look at is the pen on the clipping and the writing on the envelope.

He’d never seen Bakura’s handwriting before. Again, due to the fact that he cleaned up much too well.

Ryou always did wonder how he did it. How he managed to walk around in public, seeing people, people seeing him, buying things, drinking coffee, and somehow never leave a trace other than an eyewitness thinking they might have seen him.

As he studied the envelope, Ryou wrinkled his nose. The handwriting looked so normal. Nothing like how they sometimes showed in the movies. No bleeding pen, no scribbling, just a calmly written bundle of letters.

He could just see Bakura writing it down. Long, gloved fingers neatly folding the paper. He probably smirked when he licked the envelope closed, imagining how Ryou would react upon opening it.

The closer Ryou looked at the pen, though, the more inferences he was able to make.

The letters were traced over two or three times, but the ink wasn’t thick. The pen used was low on ink.

Ryou looked at the newspaper, but didn’t see the same pattern. He couldn’t have. The paper would be too thin.

The newspaper was marked first, and the envelope addressed last.

Using a pen that was low on ink didn’t seem like something Bakura would do.

Ryou was conflicted.

The cut made sense, the pen did not. Either someone was playing a clever prank, or Bakura used a pen from a public place. Perhaps the same place he found the newspaper.

Maybe it was a stretch, but at this point Ryou would take anything he could get.

If it _was_ him, did that mean he was still in Domino? There was no way he’d be able to walk around freely with the case made public. They didn’t have pictures of him, only police sketches, but still, it seemed like enough.

It would be too risky.

Right?

Ryou felt a headache coming on, deciding that he’d had enough studying for the day. He shoved the papers back in the drawer and shut it.

His theory, while perhaps brought on by some kind of paranoia, was starting to prove correct.

Bakura was still here and he was likely looking for Ryou. To kill him? Maybe. To fuck with his head? Without a doubt.

Ryou didn’t know which one he liked better. All he knew was that he wanted to be five steps ahead no matter what.

If Malik still had those files, Ryou was going to find them.

…

Later that night, after calming down and eating dinner alone, Ryou received a text message from Malik.

_I’ll see you at work tomorrow._   
_I’ll bring you a latte. ;)_

Ryou meant to reply, but he never did.

His mind was occupied with a scheme. A scheme he didn’t want to follow through with, but one he felt he had to.

In a way, it was more than finding Bakura. It was finding out if Malik was telling the truth.

Not that Ryou thought of himself as any better, considering his plan was to sneak behind Malik’s back, but Ryou just wouldn’t be able to rest if he didn’t know for sure.

Maybe, finally, he’d be able to let it all go. Whether or not he found something, at least he’d be able to get some kind of closure.

By the time the sun had come up and his alarm went off, Ryou was already awake.

It was exciting to go back to work, to hopefully get a new case to look at, but Ryou was also, expectedly, anxious.

He was never very good at hiding things. More specifically, he was never good at hiding things from Malik. Not that he lied to him often, of course.

On the subject of hiding things, Ryou spent most of that morning trying to hide the cut on his head.

The scab was starting to heal over, but not without a consequence.

It looked like it was going to scar, leaving a little mark on his eyebrow. A bruise had formed around the impact point as well. He placed a band aid, properly this time, over the cut, finding it wasn’t too noticeable with his bangs positioned a certain way.

He was fussing in the mirror for longer than he intended, clicking his tongue in annoyance after checking the time.

Ryou hurried to the kitchen, gathering all his papers that were no longer sprawled out, but were tucked neatly away in their manilla folders. He slid them into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he did a double take to make sure he had everything he needed.

He left in a rush, not wanting to accidentally be late and worry anyone.

On the drive to the office, all Ryou could think about was the scheme he had planned. It wouldn’t be done until the day was over when everyone would be gone. While it might have been the safest option, it also meant he would have to go through the day pretending like he wasn’t planning anything.

It would most likely prove to be much more difficult than he thought.

In fact, he was already starting to sweat just by thinking about it.

When he arrived at the office, Ryou had forgotten that he hadn’t been there for a few days and so he was greeted all over again by forced smiles and nervous glances.

Ryou really wasn’t in the mood to be faking any more conversations than he had to. He nodded his head to everyone that greeted him, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance every time.

Isn’t it exhausting to pretend to care about someone? He’d worked with these people in the same office for years now and not once was he greeted so often and so politely.

Ryou grumbled under his breath the closer to his office he got. He was relieved to see that Malik wasn’t waiting for him in the hallway, though.

As Ryou began to settle, placing his bag on his desk and pulling out his completed paperwork, there was a knock on the doorway.

“Morning,” Malik said, taking it upon himself to enter Ryou’s office. “Did you finish your paperwork?”

Ryou smiled bitterly, plopping the huge stacks of paper down on his desk.

“Oh yeah. Every line signed, every ‘i’ dotted, every ‘t’ crossed.”

Malik chuckled, nonchalantly setting one of the two coffee cups he was holding down on Ryou’s desk.

“Good. Now I can give you something new.”

Malik took the pile of papers, relieving them of Ryou’s possession. He left and came back, holding a single, much thinner folder and tossing it on Ryou’s desk.

“We’re going to meet with the client tomorrow. Look it over and we’ll talk about what needs to be asked of them and arrange a time to check out their store.”

Ryou raised a brow at that, opening up the folder only to groan a moment later.

“A robbery? Come on we can—” Ryou cut himself off after looking up at Malik, meeting his pointed expression. He pursed his lips, rethinking his phrasing.

“I mean… I’m happy to help a client.”

Malik smirked and nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

There was a lull in the conversation. To fill the silence, Malik cleared his throat, lightly tapping on Ryou’s desk.

“Alright then. I’ll come check in at lunch. Good luck.”

Ryou smiled and waved, but Malik had already turned around and was leaving his office.

It was a relief to not be questioned, but Ryou could certainly tell that Malik was still upset with him from the day before. He was very straightforward with business and didn’t linger in his office like he usually did.

Ryou never minded, of course. Morning conversations with Malik actually helped him to be more productive throughout the day. Without it, Ryou was left feeling like something was missing.

He let out a sigh, pulling his coffee offering closer to him as he decided to get a start on the new case file.

Thinking wouldn’t come so easy with other things preoccupying his mind, but Ryou was determined to try.

…

Despite a heavy weight on his shoulders, Ryou managed to start taking notes on his new case. Sometimes, his thoughts would wander, but he would remind himself that there was no use in worrying about a case he didn’t have enough information on.

It was easier after lunch, though. Malik seemed to have lowered his defenses and it was easier to talk to him than it had been in the morning. They discussed the new case a little bit, but the lunch chat took a delightful turn into discussing a new show that Malik had been watching.

Ryou couldn’t really remember what it was about, but he loved hearing Malik talk about it. None of it was positive, all of it was criticism, but Ryou didn’t mind. Watching Malik’s nose wrinkle in disgust, hearing his voice go higher when he kept remembering certain parts that bothered him, it was all enjoyable to Ryou.

He was able to focus more after lunch, for he no longer worried about Malik being upset with him for the time being.

It was approaching the end of the day, and Ryou was wrapping up a few notes on the robbery, focusing on his writing.

“Good job today, Ryou,” Malik commented, appearing in the doorway. His eyes glanced up at the bulletin board behind Ryou’s head, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Ah, I see you’ve dove into the case of the missing pearls, hm?”

Ryou finished writing his notes down before he responded, looking up at Malik briefly before he stuck his note on the board.

“Yeah. I’m going to put my bets on a solve time of two to three days.”

Ryou smiled to himself, standing up to appreciate his work. Despite all the stress his first couple of weeks had put on him, it felt really good to keep his mind occupied on something that wasn’t homicide. A petty theft was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“You sound kind of cocky,” Malik said, walking into the office now and standing at Ryou’s desk, “I haven’t heard you talk like that in a long time.”

“Well, you’ll just have to get used to it,” Ryou hummed, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on.

“Sure, but I never said I didn’t like it.”

Ryou raised a brow, watching as Malik leaned on his desk, his beautiful gaze fixed on him and only him.

“I was thinking,” Malik began, reaching out and gently grabbing a hold of Ryou’s right hand, “Maybe I could take you out for dinner tomorrow night? Only if you want to, of course.”

Initially, Ryou didn’t respond. He watched Malik’s thumb swipe over his hand as he awaited an answer, but all Ryou could think about was how long he had waited to be asked that question and how awful it would be if he said yes.

The stretch of time to respond was becoming too long, but Ryou couldn’t help it. His heart thumped in his chest in both a very warm and very cold way. He could feel Malik’s grip on his hand begin to lessen, but he wasn’t quite ready to let go, yet.

“Yeah,” Ryou quickly blurted out, squeezing Malik’s hand so that he wouldn’t slip away. He nodded, feeling his face grow warm and his lips stretch into a smile. “Yeah, I would like that a lot.”

Malik smiled back and nodded, standing up straight while still holding Ryou’s hand.

“Great. I’ll give you more details tomorrow.”

Malik cleared his throat bringing Ryou back into the moment to realize how long he’d been staring. Ryou quickly looked away, searching for his bag in the meantime.

Reaching over the desk with his free hand, Malik grabbed Ryou’s bag, handing it to him with a smile.

“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Still holding hands, Malik led Ryou out of his office, through the hall, and down the stairs.

Everyone else had left, and it seemed Malik knew Ryou would lose track of the time and waited until everyone had gone. It was better that way. It was more comfortable.

When they stepped outside, Ryou found he still didn’t want to let go of Malik’s hand. They stopped at the front door, knowing that they would have to part ways.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Malik murmured, reaching a hand up to gently tuck some of Ryou’s hair behind his ear.

Ryou leaning into the touch, closed his eyes for a brief moment.

“Yeah. Tomorrow.” Ryou tilted his head up, smiling softly.

Slowly, they went in their separate directions, going to their own vehicles.

Ryou got to his car first, watching Malik walk to the other side of the parking lot. He sighed, his smiling face falling into a frown.

Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to go behind Malik’s back?

Ryou closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head as he started his car.

Malik pulled out of his parking spot and Ryou followed him. Malik waved as they passed by each other, Ryou waved back.

Ryou followed him to the first stoplight, which was where they usually made separate turns. He watched Malik go right before turning left himself.

He got to the end of the street before he made a U-turn.

Ryou gripped the wheel tightly with his right hand, only growing more angry when he thought about how he could only grip it with one.

“Fuck,” He swore under his breath, only to shout right after, “Fuck!”

This was a mistake. He should turn around. He couldn’t do this to Malik.

But he couldn’t just move on, either.

He couldn’t just leave it all behind him. He thought about it every day. Every day he was reminded that his life was different, that it would never be the same.

The thought made him angry. He deserved to find him, right? He survived. This was _his_ case. He had put so much work into it, so many sleepless nights, a three day encounter with the killer himself.

So why was it so wrong for him to be able to continue?

Ryou pulled back into the office parking lot, aggressively putting his car in park and smacking the steering wheel.

“What the fuck is wrong with me,” He said out loud, leaning his forehead on the steering wheel and staring down at his lap.

“Just do it. Go inside, see if they’re there, and leave. He said they’re gone. They could just be gone.”

Letting out a long sigh, Ryou nodded, agreeing with himself. He sat up, pulled his keys out of the ignition, and grabbed his bag, heading back into the building.

He glanced left and right, making sure that there was no one else there with him. The coast was clear, and Ryou entered the building.

Sure, he’d been in the office after hours before, but not in a long time.

The dark was a very different place to Ryou now. He’d never been afraid of it before.

Ryou had never realized how scary it could be until he had found himself in the middle of it. Surrounded by it. Choked by it.

The size of a room, how close someone might be—All information disappears all at once.

The lobby of the building looked different. Half of it was lit by the emergency light near the door, the other half was cloaked in darkness.

Ryou could see the bottom of the stairs, but the top was hidden by shadows. Ten steps. Ryou remembered how many there were, so all he had to do was count.

One, two…

_three, four… Oh, come on. It’s just one more._

Ryou gripped the railing.

Five.

Ryou choked on his breath, clutching his chest. The fabric of his shirt felt like it was sticking to his skin.

_it’ll hurt less if you keep still._

Ryou moved forward to climb the rest of the stairs, only he stumbled forward, his hands finding the door to his office suite. He didn’t remember going up the rest, but didn’t feel much like questioning it.

He exhaled, relieved that he was entering the suite and being greeted by light coming from the end of the hallway near his office. The emergency light was bright enough to guide Ryou past the front desk and into the hallway of offices.

He made it to Malik’s office, fiddling with his keys to find the spare Malik gave to him.

He stared at it, thinking how horribly ironic it was that Malik gave him the spare out of trust and here he was, violating it.

Ryou stuck the key in the hole and opened the door.

He went to Malik’s desk first. Ryou lightly nudged the mouse to turn the computer screen on, giving him some light so he could see.

Malik’s desk was much more organized than Ryou’s was, which meant finding these files, if Malik had them, would either prove to be very easy or very difficult.

Ryou opened the desk drawers, carefully looking through papers and file folders and being sure to put them back exactly as he found them.

The desk had nothing he was looking for.

Next on his list were Malik’s filing cabinets. Everything was alphabetical. Ryou looked under the ‘B’s, using the puny blue light from his cell phone to help him see the names, but found none.

“This is ridiculous,” Ryou whispered out loud, shaking his head in disapproval. What was he doing sneaking around his own partner’s office?

He was about to leave, ready to give up the search and the case, ready to come up with a way to tell Malik about the strange envelope that appeared on his windshield, but then he saw the closet door.

He doubted there would be anything in there. Malik hung his coat there, stored his umbrella and his hats and gloves, never anything like an important case file.

Right?

Ryou let curiosity get the best of him. He approached the closet door, opening it with hesitance.

The first thing he saw was Malik’s winter coat.

The second thing he saw was a small, two drawer filing cabinet tucked away in the corner of the closet, unable to be seen unless someone stuck their head in to look for it, which was exactly what Ryou did.

He stared at it a moment, still trying to convince himself that this was the right decision. Or maybe he was trying to convince himself it was the wrong decision. Ryou didn’t dwell on that long enough to figure it out.

The top drawer was opened first. It wasn’t organized like the other drawers were. However, Ryou recognized the disorganized contents right away.

“My board,” He murmured, reaching a hand in and pulling out a stack of sticky notes all stuck together. Ryou recognized his messy handwriting right away:

_One year apart. Anniversary? Memory?_

Funny. Even after such a close encounter, Ryou still didn’t have all of the answers.

As interesting as his bulletin board might have been, it wasn’t what he was looking for. He used the board to build on information he already had. The sticky notes would be useless, just random thoughts and theories he wrote down while thinking about the details.

He put the sticky notes back with the other bulletin board items: news clippings, names, articles, and string.

Up next was the bottom drawer. Ryou opened it up, feeling his mouth go dry when he saw what was inside.

He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or upset. Was he even allowed to be angry in this situation?

Ryou reached in and grabbed the large stack of papers shoved inside of a folder. He stared at his own handwriting that read “Case File: Bakura.”

His grip tightened, but had to readjust the way he was holding the papers. He held it over his left arm on account that he couldn’t hold the folder with both hands. Ryou knew who to blame for that.

Ryou stepped out of the closet and headed toward the hallway where the light was. Slowly, he sat himself down on the floor, placing the folder in front of him. There were so many papers within it, they nearly spilled out. Paper clips stuck out at the top and the folder itself had become worn on the spine from over stuffing, opening, and closing.

He was going to wait to open it, but his fingertips buzzed the longer he went without touching the papers. It was disgusting. Ryou felt like some kind of addict. He knew it was wrong. It was so wrong for him to open it, but the need to see what was inside was eating him alive from the inside out.

Abruptly, he flipped the folder open, holding his breath when he was met with a picture of himself.

It was not at all flattering. His head was turned to the side, body propped up on a hospital bed. His chest was littered with stitches in five distinct places. Ryou barely remembered the pictures being taken. He knew it was necessary, it had to be done for evidence purposes, but it was so uncomfortable.

He wasn’t in the picture, but Malik was standing impatiently next to the bed, looming over the photographer like a watchful bodyguard.

Ryou flipped the picture over. He flipped all pictures of himself over, not even bothering to dwell on the others. The aftermath and the crime scene were all too familiar.

What wasn’t familiar, though, was a group of sticky notes paperclipped over the report of his encounter with Bakura.

It was all Malik’s handwriting, but Ryou just barely recognized it. It was frantic, shorthanded, and messy. He could make out a few words like “garage,” “tire,” and “body.”

They were all little clues Bakura had left behind for Malik to decipher. If it were anyone else trying to find him, Ryou wouldn’t be sitting on the floor reading his own victim file.

Ryou shut the folder then, deciding he’d had enough.

The tricky part was figuring out how to get all the information home with him. Ryou stood with the folder in his arms, looking around the office for any kind of idea.

His eyes found the copy machine. One of Ryou’s eyebrows shot up in interest.

Copying everything would be impossible, but all Ryou really needed were the reports and maybe a few photographs. Everything else he could quickly take notes on.

Ryou walked over to the receptionist’s desk where the copy machine was and busied himself with the task. He didn’t want to look too deep into the reports, for he knew he’d get lost in them, so one by one he slid one out of the pile, stuck it under the lid, and copied what he needed to.

It felt strange to be completely alone in the office, especially when he wasn’t hiding in his own, chewing on a pencil with pictures and notes sprawled out across the floor.

That was actually the last time he’d looked at the file.

It was a regular work day, but Ryou had been planning on arriving at what he suspected would be the next location of a disappearance courtesy of Bakura for a few days before that.

It was a hard decision to make, because he still wasn’t entirely sure of Bakura’s movement as of late. They seemed too obvious, a little different from his previous processes.

If only Ryou had followed his gut feeling. Maybe this would have all been done much faster and with no consequences.

When Ryou was finished with his copies, he made sure all of the papers went back where they came from. Malik was able to spot a misplaced paperclip from a mile away. If anything was somewhere else other than where he found it, Malik would know.

Flipping through once more, Ryou wrote his notes down on a notepad, making them as organized as he could in a rush. The longer he stayed in the office, the guiltier he felt.

It was too quiet. Too dark. Not to mention Ryou was tired from the long day.

He slid the copies and his notepad into his bag, heading back to Malik’s office to put everything back where he’d found it.

Ryou knew he didn’t have to, but he felt like he needed to be sneaky. After double checking everything he touched, he quietly shut Malik’s office door, clutching his shoulder bag tightly.

For someone that wasn’t afraid of catching criminals, Ryou found himself very anxious while committing something that wasn’t even technically a crime.

He stopped at the entrance to their office suite, glancing back at the dark hallway lit by the fluorescent emergency light.

Ryou frowned, looking down at his bag that rested at his side.

He knew why Malik lied. He knew that Malik was only trying to keep him safe, but still, it stung.

Ryou was an adult— He didn’t need to be “protected.” They could have discussed it more. They could have come to a compromise. Ryou wouldn’t be upset if Malik just told him the truth. The truth being that it was still in his possession and he didn’t want Ryou obsessing over it.

Maybe Malik wanted to work on it. Ryou would have been fine with that, too, but clearly honesty wasn’t an option in this situation.

None of that mattered, though. All Ryou knew was that he couldn't sit by any longer and allow Bakura to threaten him with silly letters.

He was in control. Not Bakura.

Ryou pushed open the door and closed it quietly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the main lobby. He kept his eyes focused on the emergency lights in the entrance vestibule.

Grasping the handrailing, Ryou descended down the stairs.

He was still nervous about the file smuggling, but walking in the dark again set off a different, eerily familiar anxiety. It was worse than before. Ryou could hear his heartbeat.

He had to get to his car.

Don’t fall down the stairs, don’t fall down, Ryou repeated in his head over and over, keeping his mind occupied as he walked the short distance from the stairs to the front doors. He felt relief once he was under the warm light. He felt even more comfortable when he saw how close his car was.

Ryou fiddled with his keys to unlock the doors, growing frustrated with himself as he still couldn’t quite get the hang of his unreliable left hand. He groaned in frustration, and his anxiety certainly wasn’t helping much. 

“Finally,” he huffed once the key made its way into the lock. He was just about to turn the key and exit the building, but he saw something.

Someone was standing outside. Their back was turned to the entrance. They didn’t seem to be aware of Ryou exiting the building.

Ryou swallowed hard, his first thought being that Malik had come back. He saw Ryou turn his car around and came back to catch him in the act.

Slowly, Ryou backed up out of the vestibule, keeping his eye on the suspiciously still figure. As much as he didn’t like them, he felt safe in the shadows of his building, sure that the person outside wouldn’t be able to see him.

“Shit,” Ryou muttered, grinding his teeth as he thought about his next move. HIs car was closer to the front entrance, but he might be able to sneak around from the back and make a run for his car.

Taking in a deep breath, Ryou turned around to carry out his new plan.

The back door felt further away than it actually was. There was no safety light in the back, and so the closer he got to the door, the darker it became. It was like those dreams, the ones where no matter how fast someone ran, they would never reach the end of the hallway.

Well, Ryou managed to reach the door, but for some reason he felt out of breath. It was so dark. He’d never been in darkness like that since—

Ryou leaned against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut.

“No, no, no, no, no,” He murmured, taking in deep breaths.

Ryou was starting to catch on to his lapses in memory. He was starting to remember how he felt before he would fall, stand, stare-- Whatever it was he did that he wouldn’t remember doing.

It always had to do with Bakura.

Looking at the files had probably made it all worse. Probably brought back memories he hadn’t thought of until he found himself surrounded by complete darkness.

Ryou was starting to feel distanced from himself. He pinched his upper arm, hard, and bit down on his tongue. That, combined with his attempts at controlling his breathing seemed to help keep him focused.

With one more deep breath, Ryou turned and opened up the back door, being greeted with the dim parking lot lights. He felt less trapped now that he could see for the most part.

Ryou stuck his hand in his pocket to quietly pull out his car keys. He turned to the right to go around the building as planned, but he saw something.

It was the figure from before.

It was walking toward him, faster than a normal walking pace.

Ryou wasn’t sure whether he should be scared and run, or if he should be angry and stay in his spot.

It had to be Malik.

Ryou stared the figure down, ready to give Malik his two cents on the whole file lie.

“You owe me an explanation,” Ryou said as the figure came closer. He felt unnerved when they didn’t respond in any way. They just kept walking.

Now, Ryou’s anxiety was quickly returning. The more he looked at the figure the less it started to look like Malik.

Ryou backed up in the opposite direction, but running hadn’t crossed his mind yet.

The figure was coming closer, and Ryou caught a glimpse of something:

Eyes he couldn’t forget.

It was fleeting. The figure had looked up briefly only to turn their head back down, but it was already too late for Ryou.

He was stuck. He couldn’t move.

The figure was directly in front of him now. Ryou’s breath was caught in his throat.

The next thing he knew the figure bumped into him as they walked past. They nudged right into Ryou’s side, pushing him into the wall.

And that was it.

They kept walking, not even taking a second glance.

When Ryou hit the wall, his fight or flight instinct kicked in. In this case, it was all flight.

He started running to his car.

Every time he blinked he saw red. Red blood and crimson eyes. A fiery glare and a blood stained shirt.

Ryou stumbled as he turned the corner, grabbing onto the brick wall for balance, but he knew he couldn’t stop.

_I want to hear you scream, investigator._

Ryou halted again, clutching his chest because for some reason it started to burn. He could feel his heart thumping. It was going so fast, Ryou thought it might explode.

He looked up, spotting his car in the lot. The figure was nowhere to be seen. Ryou nodded, finding comfort in feeling his body move at will. Just a few more feet… Just a few more steps…

_Usually they plead. Beg for their life with their eyes._

Ryou suddenly felt cool metal on his hands and he looked to find them flat against the hood of his car. He was out of breath from running. It didn’t mix well with his already increased heart rate.

Quickly, Ryou unlocked his doors and sat down. He stared out the windshield, hearing himself panting.

In and out. In and out. In, in, out. In and out.

He raised a shaky hand and pressed the lock button.

The car clicked.

The door shut, stirring Ryou from his half awake half asleep state. His head felt heavy, but he lifted it anyway to catch sight of the shadow creeping closer to him. Was it a new day? How long has it been? Ryou’s limbs were stiff and his sweat was cold. He felt heat hover over him, but it was too dark to see. After hearing a click, a bright light went on, causing Ryou to squint. _Oh… I’m sorry._ A hand touched down on Ryou’s head, fingers lightly grabbing hold of the strands and pulling, forcing Ryou’s head back. _Did I wake you?_ Ryou was definitely more alert now, his heart fluttering to life and his sleep deprivation quickly wearing off. He squinted from the sudden beam of light overhead, but his squint immediately soured into a glare. Bakura’s smirk widened into a grin. He chuckled, which only made Ryou more defiant and angry. _I don’t think I’ve ever had someone in your position look at me the way you do._ Bakura gave Ryou’s hair a harsh tug, eliciting a muffled grunt Ryou hadn’t expected to make. The amusement on Bakura’s face slowly faded, his eyes lidding and his lip curling in disappointment. _Usually they plead. Beg for their life with their eyes._ Ryou watched as Bakura circled around to stand in front of him, bending over to place his hands over Ryou’s forearms. Ryou leaned back when Bakura’s head came too close, his breath tickling his skin. It smelled like spearmint and felt cold on his face. After a moment of trying to turn his head to the side, Bakura pressed their foreheads together, looking right into Ryou’s eyes. Ryou glared back at him, forcing his breathing to become slow and steady. _Not you. That’s pure hatred if I’ve ever seen it. Heh._ Bakura moved back, clicking his tongue. _We’ll see how long that lasts._

Ryou watched Bakura tie his long silvery hair back into a ponytail. It was almost boring. Ryou took the time to try, once again, to pull his wrists or legs free from their duct tape prison. The next time he looked up, Bakura was brandishing a knife. He seemed much more interested in his own reflection on the eerily clean blade than he did in anything else in the room. Ryou watched him with caution, wishing Bakura took a little more time to manage his hair. _I wouldn’t want to bring stains home, now, do I?_ Bakura looked up at Ryou, smirking at him as if he knew something Ryou didn’t. _I know how irksome it is for you investigators to have to follow me home._ Bakura did a trick with his knife as he walked closer, twirling it in his fingers effortlessly. _You know, I’ve barely heard a peep out of you. Not a beg, a plea, or even a whimper._ Ryou swallowed hard. Bakura was close to him again. A gloved hand reached out, touching at his face, cheeks, and neck with no particular purpose. Ryou, annoyed, moved his head away from the touch as best he could with nowhere to go. It seemed Bakura found entertainment in this. He just stood there, watching Ryou make decisions that didn’t really matter; Where to turn his head, when to lean away. It was useless because Bakura’s hand always grabbed a hold of what it wanted. In this case, it caught Ryou’s tie, pulling it gently. His other hand brought the knife to Ryou’s chin, pointing the sharp blade at his neck so that Ryou would tilt his head upward. Careful of the blade, Ryou did. Bakura started to loosen the knot on his tie, tugging and pulling carelessly. _Hm. It’s a shame you wore white._ He stopped fiddling with Ryou’s tie, but suddenly the cold, flat surface of the knife was against Ryou’s cheek. Ryou sucked in a breath from the shock of sudden cold, but other than that retained his vow of silence. He didn’t want to give Bakura the satisfaction of hearing him make any sound that wasn’t a long line of curses or insults. Ryou wondered if Bakura gagged him just so he could hear himself talk without interruption. He filled the silence in the room with his voice, never lingering in the quiet for too long. _I want to hear you scream, investigator,_ Bakura insisted, gliding the unsharp spine of the knife along Ryou’s jawline, down his neck, over his chest and finally stopping at his upper left arm. _I always get what I want._

Any control Ryou might have had over his breathing was relinquished as Bakura started to cut into his skin. His fingers curled over the armrests, nails scratching into the wood as the knife was dragged agonizingly slow in a horizontal line across his arm. Ryou shut his eyes, taking quick breaths through his nose. He felt warmth drip down his arm, feeling the fabric of his sleeves soak up the blood that quickly spilled out of the fresh cut. _Would you look at that. I’ve got myself a stubborn private eye._ Bakura grabbed Ryou’s face, tilting it upward. Ryou opened his eyes to glare defiantly only to regret it when he saw the excited grin plastered on Bakura’s face. Ryou was worried when he couldn’t see the knife, as he should have been. _Keep it up. Just like you, Ryou, I won’t stop until I find what I’m looking for._

Bakura’s grip became jaw breakingly tight, but that didn’t matter much. Bakura poked the knife back into the cut with harsher force, digging it deeper into his arm. Tears started to gather in Ryou’s eyes as a physiological reaction, his throat going against his wishes as he let out a pained moan. His body twitched, his hands spasming instinctively to grab the knife and stop the pain. Bakura placed his hand over Ryou’s mouth, mock pouting. _Oops. That hurt didn’t it?_ Ryou groaned as Bakura quickly pulled the knife out of his flesh, ripping and tearing muscle even more. Once again their faces were just inches away from each other, Bakura’s hand keeping Ryou’s head still as he twitched involuntarily. _I don’t think you’re as strong as you think you are._

Ryou sucked in a breath, throwing himself into a coughing fit as saliva tickled the back of his throat. When he opened his eyes it was dark, which didn’t alleviate his sudden panic after choking. He blinked many times, quickly patting himself all over to make sure he could move at his own accord. He bumped his hand on the steering wheel in the process, cursing under his breath.

He pinched his arm, hard, slowing his breathing once he felt comfortable with his mobility. His face felt sticky and it was hard to breathe through his nose. He sniffled, realizing then that he had been crying. 

Turning to the right, Ryou half expected to see Malik sitting next to him, looking at him with that same worried frown he’d grown so used to seeing, but he didn’t. Malik wasn’t there.

Ryou comprehended that he was sitting in his car, but he couldn’t remember why. He wished that Malik was there. As much as he hated having these memory lapses in front of Malik, it was nice to have someone there to tell him what was going on.

The darkness didn’t help, either. Ryou sniffled again and rubbed snot on his hand.

It was probably better that he try to remember why he was in the car at the office, but when Ryou saw the time and felt himself shiver, he knew he should go back home and get as much sleep as he possibly could. Work would start in a few hours.

The car wasn’t on, so Ryou had been sitting in the cold for quite some time. He put his key in the ignition and blasted the heat as he drove back home, nervously glancing out the window at every stop light.

When he got home, Ryou picked up his shoulder bag, noticing that it was much heavier than he thought it would be.

He opened it up and found the copies he made. It didn’t register with him at first, but then, all at once, Ryou remembered. His eyes widened and he clutched the bag close to himself, nervously looking out the windows of his car.

“Who the fuck was that,” He said to himself, taking in a shaky breath.

Ryou managed to get out of his car and make his way upstairs, but sleeping at that point was no longer an option.

His eyes were glued to the window in his bedroom, arms squeezing a pillow for some kind of comfort.

Ryou’s heart was still beating faster than it should have.

The sky was starting to change colors. Dark blue faded into light purple.  
The sun poked out from the horizon.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Leave a comment if you'd like :-)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I would just like to say please do not drive when you are sleep deprived :-( it is not safe for you or others! This is fiction and Ryou would not approve if you copied him >:(

…

Ryou’s alarm was blaring, announcing that it was time for him to get up, but he didn’t move to turn it off. He kept his heavy eyes on the window, debating whether or not it was even worth it to go to work.

He would be meeting with the new client, though. Malik would be disappointed if Ryou didn’t show up. Not to mention it would look unprofessional and the client might reconsider hiring them.

Besides, Ryou wanted to see Malik in the evening. He needed something to take his mind off of what happened just a few hours ago.

Ryou shuddered when he thought about it, deciding to slowly rise in his bed to turn off the alarm.

He hadn’t slept a wink. Every time his eyes tried to close they shot back open. There was an uncomfortable, lurking feeling of being watched. Ryou didn’t turn his light off and he had kept his curtains open. The sun was just beginning to rise, and when it finally shined in Ryou’s eyes, he decided to get out of bed.

Moving wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. It felt like someone else was moving his body for him. He was aware he was moving, but the exhaustion kept him from feeling it.

Ryou didn’t really pay attention to the clothes he put on and he nearly dozed off while he brushed his teeth.

Driving probably wasn’t the best option, but Ryou didn’t really have a choice.

Before he left his apartment, Ryou splashed some water in his face and quickly chugged down a can of soda. It was too late to make coffee, but Ryou wanted to make sure he had enough energy to make it to work.

He did feel more awake by the time he got to the car, but seeing it made him feel uneasy.

The lapses in memory were happening much more often. It was concerning to have had one so close to a potential threat. What would have happened if Ryou fell to the ground? If he hadn’t made it to his car?

More importantly, who was walking outside their office building so late at night?

All Ryou remembered was feeling panic. He didn’t even know if he remembered it all correctly. It could have been possible there wasn’t even anyone there. Ryou wouldn’t hold it against himself if, along with his memory lapses, he was starting to hallucinate, too.

Still, he was much too stubborn to let anyone know about it. Ryou couldn’t imagine having to leave work _again._

With every incident, he was inching closer and closer to another leave of absence, forced upon him by a caring, rightfully worried business partner.

Ryou would be damned if he was forced to stay at home for longer than a week. Thinking about it gave him the motivation to drive to work. He stayed focused on the road, trying very hard not to think about how heavy his eyes felt.

He was relieved when he pulled into the lot of the office, parking in his usual spot near the front door. When he parked, Ryou took a moment to stare at the building, thinking about how it looked much less menacing in the morning than it did at night.

The glass doors were so clean, you could see right inside in the lobby. Ryou could even see the stairs he had to climb to get to the office suite. Not a single shadow of darkness in sight.

Ryou yawned before he gathered his things and exited his car.

…

“Ryou?” Malik called, knocking on the doorway. Ryou jumped a little, picking his head up off the desk and looking at Malik. His face grew warm with embarrassment.

Malik smiled a little, but his brow was knit with worry.

“The client is here. Um… Are you alright?”

Ryou nodded, blinking a few times before standing himself up. He stood a little too fast, though, and he had to stay in place until the dots impairing his vision faded away. He grabbed his notebook, yawning as he approached Malik in the doorway.

“Just a little tired. I’m good, though.”

Malik frowned as he studied Ryou, but didn’t press any further. He led the way into the reception lobby of their office suite where an old couple was sitting in two of the three chairs near the door. When they saw the two investigators walking toward them, they shakily got to their feet to greet them.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi. I’m Investigator Ishtar, and this is my partner, Investigator Touzoku.”

Malik and Ryou held out their hands, exchanging handshakes with the clients in front of them. Ryou could tell that they were married after taking one look at them. They had been sitting close together and their wedding bands shined on their old, swollen fingers.

“Nice to meet you both,” Mr. Takahashi said, clearing his throat, “I hope you’ve found something to aid in resolving our store robbery.”

“Yes. We have a few leads to go off of, but let’s discuss it further in my office,” Malik replied, gesturing in the direction of his office before leading the way.

Ryou sat next to Malik behind his desk while the Takahashi’s sat on the other side. Once it looked like everyone was settled, Ryou set his notebook on the desk and flipped open the case file.

“Here is what we have so far,” Ryou began, flipping the notebook and folder around so the Takahashis could see his notes, “Unfortunately, I have reason to believe that it was someone you know. The alarm didn’t go off and it just so happens the jewelry that was stolen were the most expensive items. Any other robber might have just taken everything, but this one was selective.”

Mr. Takahashi nodded his head in understanding.

Ryou continued, “Now, that’s all the information I have based on your report and the pictures. We’ll have to schedule a day to come to your store and—”

“Excuse me, but do I know you?” Mrs. Takahashi interrupted, much to Ryou’s annoyance.

Ryou blinked, looking up from the paper he was pointing to.

“Oh-um… Sorry, I don’t think so.”

Mrs. Takahashi narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied Ryou, making him quite uncomfortable.

“What we are saying is,” Malik continued, steering the conversation back to business, “that we should come to your store to gather any evidence that might have been—”

“Oh! I know!” Mrs. Takahashi nudged her husband, pointing her long, boney finger at Ryou. “That’s the young man from the news! You’re that investigator that went missing, right?”

Ryou stared at the old woman’s finger, trying very hard to control his anger.

“Ha ha, yeah. That’s me,” He said, pointedly clearing his throat after. “Now if we could just—”

“How did that happen?” Mr. Takahashi asked, leaning forward, but looking more at Malik than he did at Ryou. “Is he often distracted?”

Ryou ground his teeth and exchanged a glance with Malik. Malik decided to continue the conversation since he could see that if Ryou opened his mouth what would come out might not be the most polite.

“Mr. Takahashi, I can assure you that Mr. Touzoku is very good at what he does. He would never let anything affect his work on a client’s case.”

Mr. Takahashi hummed with uncertainty, tapping his fingers on the desk.

“Yes, I see, but, how do we know a mistake won’t be made? I don’t want whoever did this to find out we hired you. That’s what happened, right? The man, that murderer, he knew you were looking for him.”

Ryou shifted in his seat, clicking his tongue in annoyance he just couldn’t hide anymore.

“What exactly are you trying to say, Mr. Takahashi?”

Mr. Takahashi looked offended, frowning in distaste as he spoke, “If that’s the case, then I’m just not sure we are comfortable having you work for us. I don’t want me or my wife to be associated with someone who’s on a murderer’s radar.”

Ryou’s good hand balled into a fist under the desk, his nostrils flaring as his breathing became heavier.

“Are you serious?” He laughed, but it was bitter and angry. “Are you f—”

Ryou stopped before he could finish, his eyes briefly glancing down at the gentle hand that was resting on his knee. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out.

“Excuse me,” He said, standing up, “I need to use the restroom.”

Ryou couldn’t believe he managed to walk himself out of Malik’s office without strangling an old man. He certainly did not have to use the bathroom, but he briskly walked there anyway, ignoring the entire office as he glared at the carpeted floor while they waved hello to him.

He shut the door and let out a frustrated groan.

Ryou kicked the tile wall. He pulled his hair and paced back and forth, mumbling and swearing to himself.

Slowly, but surely, he calmed down, coming to a halt in his pacing in front of the mirror. Ryou stared at his reflection, catching sight of himself for the first time in a while. There were dark circles under his eyes, his bangs were swept in a position that revealed his recent forehead cut and bruising, his cheeks looked to be a little sunken in, and his hair was thinner than normal on account of it being greasy.

Ryou frowned.

He looked like a ghost. What was even left of him?

He must have gotten lost in thought, because the squeak of the door being opened surprised him back into the present. He wondered how long he’d been staring.

“Hey,” Malik said, his voice echoing in the empty bathroom, “Are you alright?”

Ryou nodded, letting out a heavy sigh as he tore his eyes away from the mirror to face Malik.

“Fine. Just—Can you believe that? Did you hear what he said?”

Malik nodded and rolled his eyes, sympathizing with Ryou’s frustration. “Yeah. That was insane. I’m sorry he said that to you. For an old man, he turned out to be a real piece of work.”

Malik moved closer to Ryou, taking it upon himself to fix Ryou’s messy bangs.

“I talked to them, though. I told them all about your dedication, your hard work and your past cases. They left already, but they apologized and have confidence in you.”

Ryou looked up at Malik, nibbling on his lower lip.

“What if they’re right, though?” He asked, not expecting to, but the question came out as soon as he thought it. “What if I get us caught? What if I mess up like before?”

Malik shook his head, gently holding Ryou’s face in his hands.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” He murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching upward into a small smile, “Because you didn’t mess up. You never did. How many cases have you solved? All of them. Nobody knows you like I do, so therefore I am right. You did not ‘mess’ up.”

Ryou felt warm beneath Malik’s touch, like he always did, and he wished that they could stand there for the rest of the day. He didn’t move while he let Malik’s words sink in.

Malik swiped his thumb across Ryou’s cheek.

Suddenly the warmth left.

Ryou shot his eyes open and he stepped back, Malik doing the same and holding his hands in the air where Ryou’s head used to be.

“I…”

Ryou blinked a few times before dropping his gaze onto the floor. A clouded static filled his ears. The phantom feeling of Malik’s hands made his skin crawl. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“I-I’m sorry. Thank you. I’m just going to go sit down,” He quickly said, stumbling over his words.

Ryou brushed past Malik to exit the bathroom, hurriedly making his way to his office and closing the door once he was inside.

Malik’s hands always felt good. They were kind, comforting, reassuring—Anything but unpleasant. Though, for some reason, the movement of Malik’s thumb reminded Ryou of much colder hands in a much colder place.

Ryou had a sensation of a bug crawling all over his body. He rubbed his arms as he walked to his chair, shuddering as he sat down.

His fingers swiped over a bump on his upper left arm as he moved his hands up and down. Eventually, he was just feeling over the bump; The long, horizontal scar.

He dropped his hands, letting out a sigh. Slowly, he leaned forward and slumped over his desk, laying his head down and burying it in his arms.

“Ryou?”

Ryou lifted his head, spotting Malik entering his office. He hadn’t heard the door open. When he opened his eyes, they blinked open, feeling less heavy than they had that morning. He wiped saliva from the corner of his mouth.

Apparently, he’d briefly fallen asleep.

Malik seemed hesitant, but he didn’t address his worries.

“I never got to tell you about the case,” He said, sitting down at one of the two chairs in front of Ryou’s desk. “I thought we might just go today to get it over with. I, um… I probably should have asked you first. It’s okay if you don’t want to go today.”

Ryou shook his head, straightening himself in his seat and smoothing out his shirt.

“No, no. I can go. Sorry, I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

Malik chuckled, perching himself on the corner of Ryou’s desk.

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” He drawled sarcastically, looking at Ryou with a raised brow. “Ryou, your eyes are practically purple right now. What happened last night?”

Ryou shrugged, Malik’s phrasing making him nervous. “What do you mean? Nothing happened last night. I didn’t do anything.”

Malik snorted, “Oh come on. You were playing a video game or something. I’ve only ever seen you this tired after watching some marathon on TV or completing a new game in one night. Which was it?”

“O-Oh, I…” Ryou cleared his throat, trying to think on his feet, but found himself not wanting to. Lying to Malik felt so wrong. Ryou didn’t like the feeling it gave him. “It, uh… I was watching a scary movie. Really interesting. I shouldn’t have stayed up that late, though.”

“Yeah, probably not.” Malik smirked, letting out a hum before he changed topics. “Well, if you’re tired, I think it might be okay if you go home after we look at the Takahashis’ store. That’ll give you plenty of time to freshen up for our evening tonight.”

A smile grew on Ryou’s face, but he felt wrong for smiling. He didn’t think he deserved to be smiling.

Malik continued, “I thought maybe I’d come pick you up around six. I’ll take you to a little restaurant I know downtown and drive you home after. How does that sound?”

A chuckle slipped past Ryou’s lips. Malik looked slightly offended, but Ryou couldn’t help it.

“To be honest with you, I thought I would be the one asking you on dates, but yeah. That sounds pretty good to me.”

Malik let out a puff of air through his nose, straightening himself up off of Ryou’s desk and smoothing out his suit jacket.

“I beat you to it. You’ll just have to learn to accept that I organized the first one.”

“Oh? Are you implying that there will be more than one?” Ryou asked, raising a brow.

Malik was walking backwards, slowly inching away from Ryou’s desk.

“Maybe. We have to see how the first one goes,” Malik hummed, smirking slyly. He stopped in the doorway, back turned to Ryou now, and spoke over his shoulder. “We’ll leave for the jewelry store in a few minutes.”

Ryou rolled his eyes in amusement as Malik left. When he did leave, Ryou leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.

It was okay to enjoy himself, right? He didn’t really steal anything anyways. All he did was sneak into Malik’s office and make a few copies. It could have been much worse.

How angry would Malik even be? Surely, _if_ he even found out, he, of all people, would understand why Ryou went behind his back. He would understand why Ryou felt he needed to take the case back.

Ryou glanced over at his bag that sat innocently next to his desk. He hadn’t taken his copied files out of it, yet. Malik could look in it at any time and find them. Ryou knew he wouldn’t do that, though.

He trusted him.

… 

“Well, it’s definitely a break-in,” Ryou said, nudging a piece of broken glass with the toe of his shoe.

The Takahashi’s jewelry store was located in downtown Domino. Ryou could hear the occasional horn and emergency siren behind himself as he faced the store, inspecting the damage from the outside.

The door of the store was old fashioned; Wooden with a clear glass window. The window was broken, and a sheet of plywood covered it up now, but what was odd was that the glass was on the wrong side of the door. It looked more like a break _out_ than a break in.

“Staged,” Ryou mumbled to himself, pulling on a glove as Malik unlocked the door. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed investigator Touzoku,” Malik said, standing back with a smirk as he watched Ryou walk into the store.

Thankfully, Ryou could get started right away without having to wait for the Takahashis.

The Takahashis had entrusted Malik with a spare key. Malik mentioned in the car something about how they couldn’t bear to look at their store in its current condition.

Frankly, Ryou didn’t mind one bit. It was easier to focus without being scrutinized by an old couple.

Ryou walked around the entire store, looking around at first. Malik stood by the door, watching him quietly.

Ryou raised a brow at him after making his first round.

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me work? Or are you going to help out a little?”

Malik shrugged. “I think I like the view from where I’m standing.”

Ryou smiled and shook his head, scanning the walls for something in particular. When he saw what he was looking for, he walked right over to it.

“The alarm system is disabled,” He said, pointing to the control pad on the wall. “Just as the report said. That and the broken glass being on the wrong side proves the inside job theory. Now I think we just have to figure out who.”

Ryou walked around the store once before circling back to the front, taking a look behind the counter.

His mind was preoccupied. Despite being exhausted, Ryou was able to immerse himself into his job, just as he always had. One thought connected to another, and Ryou just didn’t have time to think about anything else.

Malik watched Ryou inspect the building, open up address books, review the employee schedule, and write all of his findings down.

While Ryou worked, he could feel Malik’s eyes following him, but not in an unpleasant way. They would exchange glances every now and then, smirking or quickly looking away so as to not get too distracted.

Ryou shared his thoughts aloud, and the two bounced ideas and theories off of each other.

It felt so normal. 

Just before they were about to leave, Ryou looked out the display window, watching the traffic zoom by. He was smiling, simply looking out at the world as he felt, for once in a long time, fulfilled.

“See anything?” Malik asked, standing next to Ryou to look out the window with him.

“No. Just looking,” Ryou replied, watching as the line of cars that sat still moved forward, indicating a traffic light change.

When the cars cleared, and the street was empty for a brief moment, Ryou noticed Malik squint his eyes.

Ryou watched as Malik opened up the file, which he’d been holding onto, flipping through papers and printed photographs. He pulled one out, holding it out in front of him and stepping backward.

“Do you see something?” Ryou asked him, stepping backward with him to try and see if he could identify the same thing.

Malik hummed in thought, biting his lip as he looked back and forth from the photograph to the real window.

“Huh, I knew I saw that car somewhere.”

“What car?” Ryou asked, leaning in to get a better look at the photograph.

“The blue one here.” Malik pointed to it in the printed photo. “It’s sitting across the street in the same spot now.”

Ryou looked up, spotting the same blue car just as Malik had said. He frowned, hesitantly shrugging his shoulders.

“I mean, it could be a tenant or a store owner,” Ryou commented, finding it odd that Malik would focus on such a trivial detail.

Malik nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I know.” He shrugged, shaking his head in confusion as he slid the photo back into the file. “It was going to bother me. I knew I’d seen it before.”

Ryou looked at the car a moment longer before looking back at Malik, smiling.

“Well, it is a nice shade of blue. Maybe your subconscious wants to get a new car.”

Malik laughed, tucking the file into his bag.

“Maybe. I’d like to fix up my motorcycle before I buy a new car, though.”

“Oh, right. You and your motorcycle,” Ryou teased, shaking his head as he strayed away from Malik, heading toward the door. “What do you call it? Dead-something?”

“ _Lady_ Death, and I think you owe _her_ an apology.”

Ryou smirked as he turned around, taking one last look around the store to make sure he had taken notes on, and pictures of, everything he wanted to.

“I guess I’ll have to come over and apologize formally, then,” He hummed, leading the way out of the jewelry store and back to the car. Malik locked the door behind them, catching up with Ryou.

“Apologizing sounds good to me,” Malik replied finally once they were both seated in his car, “She’s had a lot of work done since you last saw her.”

Ryou couldn’t help but laugh, waving his hand in dismissal.

On the way back to the office, Ryou thought it best to discuss their findings at the jewelry store seeing that they wouldn’t be working together for the rest of the day.

As much as Ryou wanted to dive deeper into the case, he found that he couldn’t wait to go home early. His energy might have come back momentarily, but he could feel it slipping away during the car ride. He knew he needed to sleep.

Although, Ryou also knew it meant he would have time to look over the new copies that sat untouched in his bag.

So, after dividing the workload between them in Malik’s car, Ryou drove back home once they returned to their office.

He collapsed on the couch in his living room and slept for a good two hours.

His eyes opened briefly, and he was about to close them again to fall back asleep, but it seemed his brain was ready to start working.

Ryou rubbed his eyes as he sat up, letting out a yawn. He stretched his arms up into the air before standing up, grabbing his shoulder bag and bringing it back to the couch.

He checked the time on his phone, happy to see that he would have plenty of time to look over the copied files, take another quick nap, and still be able to shower and change before Malik would arrive.

Ryou pulled out the stack of papers and placed them on the coffee table in front of him. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

Then he clicked his pen open and began to read. He only copied the information that he couldn’t remember as well as anything that might help him locate Bakura. It wasn’t easy the first time and there was no doubt it would be any easier now.

Bakura’s criminal record was clean up until his identity was revealed. Without Bakura’s only slip-up, they would have no idea who was behind all of these murders.

The murders, in particular, were one year apart and never in the same city. It was a cycle of stalking, kidnapping, and killing. Ryou didn’t understand why Bakura did what he did, but at the same time, Ryou didn’t really want to know.

It was unclear when Bakura’s stalking phase would begin, but in every case, a friend or a witness would briefly describe seeing the victim sometime during a daily routine, such as a coffee run or a train ride, but never after that. The victim would go missing somewhere between these routines, only to be seen again somewhere public like a park or a parking lot. Dead.

Ryou often wished he could have asked Bakura questions during the time they spent with each other.

Why did he stalk for so long? Was it the thrill? To get a closer look at his chosen victim?

Even after spending such an agonizing three days with Bakura, Ryou never was able to find out.

However, based on his own personal experience, Ryou would place his bets on Bakura feeling like he was outsmarting his victim. There would be that moment of realization in the victim just before it was too late.

_You’re not as smart as I thought._

_Make this easy on yourself and come quietly!_

Ryou remembered his own moment of realization.

He flipped through the papers to find a photocopied photograph of a parking garage. That was the last place he was seen before disappearing.

Ryou thought Bakura had been tracking down a young adult male who was an accountant at some office Ryou couldn’t remember the name of. He was so sure that was who Bakura was after and even thought it was too good to be true.

Ryou never found a pattern in Bakura’s victims, unlike other serial killers. No pattern meant ignorance. Ignorance meant Ryou felt like he was safe. 

He thought he had been watching from the outside, but he was very wrong.

The only thing that tied all the victims together were the wounds Bakura left behind. 

The five marks on the chest were consistent with every body found. Ryou never figured out the reasoning behind that, either.

Most killers liked to share their secrets. They showed their faces and told their victims things they would never tell anyone else because they knew the end result. They knew the victim wouldn’t get the chance to tell their secrets.

At least, that was what Ryou thought. That was what he read in fiction, in non-fiction, in true crime first-hand autobiographies— But not with Bakura.

It seemed he knew any and all pieces of evidence that could potentially lead back to him. They don’t even have a picture of him, just a police sketch based on eye witnesses and, more recently, Ryou’s description.

It was just so frustrating to know exactly what he looks like, what he sounds like, and what he acts like, yet there was nothing Ryou could do to find him. That is, nothing he couldn’t do immediately.

Ryou flipped through the papers some more, resuming his thoughts on the wounds found on the victims. The five cuts were the only constants. All other wounds varied.

Ryou did have a strong inclination that Bakura liked to torture his victims before killing them. Well, actually, it seems the torture _was_ how they were killed.

The cause of death for all of the victims was blood loss.

Bakura kept going until he couldn’t anymore.

Ryou felt his mouth go dry. There really wasn’t much time left for him. Had Malik been an hour, no, maybe even mere minutes later, it might have been too late.

But that didn’t matter anymore, Ryou reminded himself. Malik _did_ come and Ryou was alive and well, albeit more alive than well.

It was all coming back to him now, and Ryou felt like he was jumping in right where he left off.

Where was Bakura now?

Ryou flipped through the files some more, but he soon realized he wouldn’t get anywhere with just old information. He was going to have to do some work outside. He was going to have to walk around, gather information, and compare it to the files he already had.

He sighed, setting his pen down after writing his streamlined thoughts.

This case certainly wasn’t as easy as the one he and Malik had begun. Ryou had felt good about the day, but after thinking about all of the work he had to do if he wanted results on finding Bakura, he felt rusty. He’d forgotten just how much work his job really was. It made sense that he had spent so many hours and late nights at the office over the years.

For now, though, Ryou felt like he’d seen enough. There was nothing more to look at that would be beneficial, and so Ryou closed the folder, sliding the papers back into his bag.

Ryou tiredly shuffled to his bedroom, figuring it best to catch some more sleep before his night out.

The thought made him smile. He couldn’t wait.

… 

Ryou fiddled with the collar of his shirt, groaning in frustration when it wouldn’t sit right. He ran his fingers under water, trying again to press the corner down. He smiled with satisfaction when it stayed down the way it was supposed to.

Ryou had awoken from his nap feeling refreshed and excited. He showered and even blow-dried his hair, something he rarely did because he rarely had the time.

To wear, Ryou chose a black, long sleeve collared shirt with a pattern of thin, white plaid lines. With that, he wore grey fitted dress pants with the ankles rolled up, revealing his black, skull patterned socks. A simple belt tied it all together and Ryou turned left and right in front of the mirror to make sure it all came together the way he thought.

Humming, Ryou ran his fingers through his hair, idly pulling it back behind his head. He liked where it was going, and so gathered most of it in the back, forming a low ponytail.

_I don’t want to bring stains home, now, do I?_

Ryou frowned. Slowly, he let go of his hair and watched it fall around his shoulders. Maybe it was better if he left it alone.

Just as he reached for his phone to check the time, Ryou heard a knock on the door.

Ryou chuckled, knowing that Malik was always exactly on time no matter how relaxed the occasion.

He left the bathroom and headed toward the front door, opening it with a grin. Ryou opened his mouth to greet Malik, but was left speechless.

Malik wore a black collared shirt as well, only his was laden with a gold floral design. The first three buttons were undone, revealing a smooth, brown chest underneath. Malik’s pants were also black, but he complimented them with a wallet chain dangling over his thigh.

Ryous eyes moved further down and noticed shiny, patent leather platform shoes adorning his feet. Ryou had to crane his head back a little further to look back up at Malik’s face, and he noticed him wearing gold, sparkly eyeliner on the top lids along with his usual kohl markings under his eyes and on his cheeks. His hair was shiny and golden like it always was, but it just happened to appear ten times shinier.

Ryou cleared his throat and opened the door further, gesturing for Malik to come inside when it seemed his mouth didn’t want to form words.

“And good evening to you, too,” Malik said, walking inside and standing near the door, “You’re looking dapper.”

A smile quickly grew on Ryou’s face, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. The idea of Malik, _this_ Malik, date ready Malik, complementing Ryou’s appearance made him feel warm.

“Yeah I… I-I mean—” Ryou scratched the back of his head, looking down at his worn sneakers. “You’re looking good, yourself. _Very_ good.”

Malik smiled, leaning against the back of the couch. “Why, thank you. Before we get going, though, do you mind if I fix something?”

“Yeah, sure, but...” Ryou blinked, looking around his apartment for anything that might have been broken or out of place. When his attention returned to Malik, he found him standing closer, directly in front of him.

“If you don’t like it, you can take it out,” Malik said, reaching his hand out to comb Ryou’s hair back.

Ryou stood still as Malik moved next to him, working his gentle fingers through his long, silky hair. He gathered the strands and braided them, tying the end with a hairband he had around his wrist. When Malik was done, he let some longer strands of hair fall in front, framing Ryou’s face.

“There,” Malik murmured, stepping back with a satisfied smirk, “I think that brings your look together. Do you want to see?”

Ryou lightly stroked his hair, feeling the way his hair overlapped one section over the other. He smiled, wondering if Malik somehow knew he wanted his hair out of the way or if it was just a coincidence.

“No, I trust you. Let’s get going. I’m hungry.”

Malik chuckled and nodded in agreement, holding his hand out in invitation. 

“Me too. Let’s go.”

Malik led the way out of Ryou’s apartment and to his car, opening up the passenger door for Ryou. They settled in and Malik started the drive into the city.

Ryou hadn’t asked where they would be going because he knew even if he did, Malik would still keep it a surprise. Based on what Malik was wearing, it was a nicer restaurant and not like the bar they’d gone to a few weeks ago. Ryou, while a little nervous about the fact that this was an official “date”, was still excited to see new sights and go somewhere different. He couldn’t even remember the last time he got dressed up to go somewhere special.

In the meantime, Ryou decided to look out the window and take in the scenery.

Domino was beautiful at night. The sky was a dark blue and the yellow lights coming from the tall buildings shined, illuminating the city. People walked about the streets laughing, holding hands, and waving down rides. The further into the city they went, the slower the traffic got, but Ryou didn’t really mind. It was entertaining to people-watch, but much more entertaining to listen to Malik grumble under his breath about the traffic.

It didn’t happen too often, but when it did Ryou tried not to laugh out loud. He wasn’t even sure if Malik was aware he was doing it. His hands would grip the wheel tighter, nearly turning his knuckles white. His brow would furrow and his nostrils would flare. Slow traffic could bring out the worst in anyone, but Ryou was glad that this was probably Malik’s worst.

Luckily, the traffic wasn’t too awful, and Malik eventually pulled into the front of the restaurant before handing over the keys to the valet.

The outside of the building was brick with an awning sticking out into the sidewalk. Ryou didn’t catch the name of the restaurant, but the beautifully carved wooden doors gave Ryou the confirmation that it was fine dining.

As they entered, Ryou could hear distant classical music. There were paintings decorating the hallway leading to the front desk.

Ryou’s head tilted upward on its own as they approached the front of the restaurant. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the restaurant, reflecting the lights beautifully. The tablecloths were white and the chairs were cushioned.

“Wow,” Ryou said under his breath, leaning over to whisper to Malik as they approached the hostess desk, “This is pretty fancy for a first date, isn’t it?”

“Reservation for Ishtar,” Malik said, waiting for the hostess to lead them to their table before he would respond to Ryou.

“Well, it _is_ a special occasion. I think it calls for something fancy.”

They were seated and Ryou couldn’t help but gaze all around the dining room. A string quartet played in an open area in the corner by the long line of windows. Behind the glass, People and cars were passing by while the lights of the buildings remained still. Ryou almost wished they were by a window, but their table had an excellent view of the chandelier and the quartet.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so nice,” Ryou murmured, keeping his voice down so as to not to disturb the soft tone of the room. He took notice of the other diners’ clothing, quickly glancing down at his own. “I actually feel kind of underdressed.”

“Nonsense,” Malik said, his head tilted down as he looked over the menu, “You look perfect.”

Ryou raised a brow, looking Malik over. “You seem very casual about this. Have you been here before?”

Malik shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

He smirked as he glanced up at Ryou. “I think it’s fun to play the part. You know, like the real rich ones in here.”

Ryou took another look around, quickly noticing what Malik was talking about. Ryou could see that Malik was sitting the exact same way as a man seated to their right. He snickered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear as he looked down at his own menu.

“You’re so immature,” Ryou teased to which Malik replied with a scoff.

However, they made sure to keep their table banter to a minimum.

Soon, a waiter came by to take their orders and later their drinks arrived. Malik insisted that Ryou get whatever he would like, but ultimately Ryou settled with a soda.

There was a lull of silence between them for a moment, but, as usual, Ryou started thinking about work.

“So, I was thinking about the jewelry store today,” He began, lightly tapping his index finger on the table. “I’m starting to have second thoughts about the—”

“Actually, I was hoping we wouldn’t talk about work tonight,” Malik interrupted, although he did so politely. He reached over the table, gently placing his hand over Ryou’s.

“Right,” Ryou chuckled awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed that his first thought was to talk about a case, “Sorry. What should we talk about, then?”

“Well…” Malik lidded his eyes, looking at Ryou from across the table. The candle between them flickered, causing Malik’s golden eyeliner to shimmer in the dim lighting of the restaurant. “We could talk about how nice you look this evening,” he smirked, “Or about how cute you look when you blush.”

Ryou couldn’t control the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. He bowed his head, hiding his face for a moment to let the heat fade away, but it never did.

“For the sake of my face, maybe we should talk about your impressive eye look instead. Do you think you could teach me sometime?”

Malik chuckled, gently patting the top of Ryou’s hand before leaning back in his chair.

“Of course. I think you’d look great with a little hint of pink under your eyes. I wouldn’t want to cover up too much of it, though.”

Malik winked and Ryou rolled his eyes, looking off to the side to try to take a break from feeling embarrassed.

“Alright, that’s enough of that,” Ryou said, fiddling with his silverware. “I’m not going to make it through the night if you keep that up.”

Malik snickered, but that was the last time he tried to fluster Ryou on purpose.

Ryou switched the topic of conversation to Malik’s motorcycle, “Lady Death.” From there, they couldn’t stop talking. An old university memory would pop up a few times, giving Malik and Ryou plenty to discuss over dinner.

When their plates were cleared and only ice remained in their glasses, they both agreed it was time to pay the check and head home.

Ryou offered to pay for half the meal, for he knew the restaurant was certainly outside of their salary’s comfort zone, but Malik insisted that he pay since it was his idea.

The waiter came to take the check and Malik watched him go.

“I think I'll freshen up a bit before we go,” He said, moving to get up, “Will you be okay here?”

Ryou nodded, offering him a smirk. “I suppose. Just don’t keep me waiting _too_ long. Who knows where I’ll wander off to.”

Malik chuckled as he walked away, heading for the back of the restaurant and leaving Ryou at the table.

Ryou looked around again, taking in the sights and smells that surrounded him. His dinner was excellent, along with pretty much every other aspect of the evening. In fact, Ryou was surprised it had gone so well.

He had worried that shifting his relationship with Malik in a more intimate way would make things awkward, but he didn’t feel awkward at all. Malik acted as he always did, except maybe the flirtatious compliments, but Ryou wasn’t going to complain about that too much.

Malik was so good at being a distraction. Only when Malik left did Ryou, ironically, think about how he hadn’t thought about Bakura the entire night.

Ryou idly scraped at a crumb on the table cloth, unable to ignore the fact that his heart skipped a beat when Bakura briefly crossed his mind. It wasn’t a good skip, either, like when Malik was holding his hand. It was sudden, uncomfortable, and grabbed his attention.

Ryou’s eyes began to shift, looking left and right, scanning the people seated near his table.

“I’m back,” Malik said, sitting down across from Ryou, catching him off guard.

“Oh,” Ryou said, looking down at the table only to see that the waiter had brought the check back when he wasn’t looking. “That was fast.”

“Of course it was. I wouldn’t want to leave my date all alone for too long, right?”

Ryou looked up at Malik, unable to help but smile.

Malik collected his credit card and the two left the restaurant, holding hands as they exited the building.

Outside they waited for the valet to return with Malik’s car. It was much darker and much more breezy. As Ryou rubbed his arms for warmth, he could feel Malik move closer to him. He glanced over his shoulder before slowly leaning into Malik’s chest.

Malik gently placed his arm around Ryou’s waist, lightly resting his hand at Ryou’s hip.

“You okay?” Malik asked, keeping his voice low enough for only Ryou to hear.

Ryou nodded. “Never been better.”

Malik’s car approached the curb and the two settled down in their seats, heading back to Ryou’s apartment.

Once again Ryou got the chance to enjoy the city scenery. There weren’t as many people out, but that only meant Ryou could focus on the lights more. 

Still, it felt much too soon when they pulled into the lot of Ryou’s apartment building.

The car came to a complete stop, leaving Malik and Ryou in a swirl of comfortable yet jittery energy.

Ryou didn’t want to leave. He wanted to spend the whole night with Malik. He wanted to watch movies with him, talk with him, just sit next to him for the rest of the night, but it was getting quite late. They should both be getting rest.

Slowly, Ryou unbuckled his seatbelt before turning to Malik, offering him a smile.

“Thank you for dinner,” He said, feeling himself blush after. Ryou still couldn’t believe that, after all this time, he finally got his date with Malik. It was official now.

“Thank _you_ for coming,” Malik replied, turning toward Ryou, “I had a really good time.”

“Me too.”

Ryou felt like he should probably start getting out of the car, but something held him in place. He kept staring at Malik and Malik kept staring back. It didn’t register with him that they were both leaning in closer.

“Can I…” Malik’s voice interrupted the silence, their heads just inches away, “Can I kiss you?”

Ryou felt his face grow warm along with the rest of his body. His toes curled in his shoes.

“Of course you can,” He murmured in response.

They both leaned in closer, Malik’s hand reaching over to gently hold the side of Ryou’s head. 

Their lips grazed together, but just before they could connect, a peculiar scent caught Ryou’s attention.

With his eyes closed, he saw flashes of red. Malik’s fingers felt cold and harsh, like they would pull on Ryou’s hair at any given second.

Ryou quickly opened his eyes, staring wide-eyed at Malik. His mouth struggled to find the right words. Uncomfortable, he pushed Malik’s hand away.

Malik frowned, leaning back to give Ryou the space he clearly needed.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

Ryou rubbed his hands on his thighs, feeling his palms rub against the fabric of his pants.

“You.. Did you have a mint? After dinner?” Ryou asked, his voice strained. He felt ridiculous to even suggest that something so mundane was to blame for such a reaction.

Malik nodded slowly, not quite understanding.

“I had a mint when I went to the bathroom. Why? Is everything okay?”

“Spearmint,” Ryou said to himself, Malik sitting stiff and alert across from him.

Even though they were far apart by now, Ryou could still smell it. It lingered on his nose, burning the inside of his nostrils. He could feel puffs of air on his face and neck, cold fingers crawling all over his skin.

There was a faint ringing in his ears, his surroundings beginning to sound cloudy and far away.

“I-I have to go now. I’m sorry.”

Ryou quickly opened up the car door, continuing to stutter and stammer, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just— I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Malik.”

Ryou wasn’t sure if Malik shouted for him to wait, because at that point the ringing had dominated in his ears. He couldn’t hear anything else.

Beads of sweat formed at his brow, slowly dripping down the sides of his face.

It was hot in the elevator.

Ryou grasped the bar tightly, waiting impatiently for the doors to finally open. It felt like an eternity, but they did, and Ryou practically ran down the hallway to his apartment.

Quickly, Ryou opened the door and stepped inside, slamming it shut.

_People often take them for granted. Hands, that is._

Ryou stared down at his hands, watching them shake at their own will. He became aware of his breathing, of how unsteady and fast it was.

“What is happening to me,” He croaked, tears welling in his eyes the more he noticed how much his body was betraying him. Everything felt out of his control.

He used to be so strong, so sure of himself.

_It wasn’t very nice of you to shoot at me. I’m not sure I can forgive you for that, my little investigator._

Ryou didn’t know how long he’d been staring at his hands. Time felt like it was being dragged out. It was hard to move. Slowly, Ryou lifted his leg to move forward. He lifted it much more than he needed to, feeling like something was pulling him down to the floor.

He tried to control his breathing. He tried counting to ten.

_One, two, three, four— Oh, come on, it’s just one more._

Ryou pressed his hand against the wall, looking down at his chest when he could swear he felt it burning. He saw red on his shirt. Stains on his sleeves and blood soaked into the fabric.

He leaned his back on the wall to unbutton his shirt, feeling the sticky fabric peel away from his skin.

_One…two…_

Ryou swallowed, slowly sliding down the wall as his legs became too wobbly to support him.

_People often take them for granted. Hands, that is. What do you use your hands for?_   
A knife was brandished in front of Ryou’s face, one he hadn’t seen due to his attention on the hand fiddling with his own. He suddenly felt heat on his face, breath tickling his ear and the sharp tip of the knife just barely touching the skin of his hand.

_It wasn’t very nice of you to shoot at me. I’m not sure I can forgive you for that, my little investigator._ Ryou watched Bakura raise the knife, his eyes widening as his arm swung down, driving the blade right through his hand. The tip poked out of the armrest underneath. Ryou screamed, the sound muffled and muted from the tape covering his mouth. His body convulsed and he couldn’t breathe for what felt like a long time. His right hand scratched at the armrest, itching to grab the knife and pull it out of the other to make the pain stop. He whimpered and pleaded unintentionally, his conscious thought very far away from him along with his defiance. It looked like Bakura was right. He did always get what he wanted.

_Poor investigator. You just don’t know what to do with yourself, do you?_ Bakura dipped his gloved finger into the pool of blood on top of Ryou’s hand only to wipe it away on Ryou’s white shirt. _I’m actually surprised you didn’t pass out. I was afraid of that._ Bakura reached out, gently pushing Ryou’s bangs back. Ryou closed his eyes, feeling sweat drip down his face and neck. The gentle touch didn’t last long and Bakura yanked Ryou’s hair, forcing his head back. Ryou looked up at him as Bakura leaned in closer, his cold, minty breath blowing into Ryou’s face. _Unfortunately, taking it out is going to feel even worse._ Ryou could feel when Bakura grabbed the knife as it moved in his hand a little. He quickly shook his head, begging, pleading for him to stop with what few sounds he could make.

“No! Don’t—” Ryou sat up, breathing heavily. He stopped shouting when he heard himself, his fingers slowly uncurling and letting go of the sheets they were holding. It was quiet. Ryou listened, hearing nothing, but he felt a presence in the room.

Looking down, Ryou saw that he was in bed. He didn’t have a shirt on.

“Ryou…?”

Ryou’s head shot to the left, finding Malik sitting at the foot of his bed on the opposite side. His kohl was smeared and his sleeves were rolled up.

Malik looked… Well, Ryou had seen him worried before, but he looked much different now. It was a concern he hadn’t seen in a long time. Ryou was pretty sure it was more fear than concern.

“Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Ryou furrowed his brow, nodding twice.

“Yeah,” He responded, his breathing slowly becoming more relaxed. “I can hear you.”

Malik sighed with relief, hesitantly moving closer to Ryou to drape a blanket over his shoulders.

“You were, um, I don’t really know, actually. I think you were dreaming. Your eyes were open, though. I… I didn’t know what to do.”

Ryou instantly felt warmer with the blanket on his shoulders. Even though his breathing was normal for the most part, he could still feel his heart beating faster than it should. He looked away from Malik, not so sure how to answer him.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbled “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Malik frowned. Ryou could feel his unease. He could feel that he wanted to move closer, but was afraid to.

“You didn’t scare me. I just—” Malik sighed, “You were saying things. I didn’t understand it at first but—”

“Spearmint,” Ryou interrupted, knowing what Malik was getting at. This time, Ryou remembered it all. He didn’t know Malik had been there, nor did he feel when Malik moved him, but Ryou remembered what had happened. He knew where his mind went.

“His breath. It smelled like spearmint.”

“Ryou… You don’t have to talk about it right now.”

Ryou shook his head, taking it upon himself to move closer to Malik.

“I want to.”

Malik nodded, looking down at the bed after. Ryou was glad he did, because he didn’t think he’d be able to talk with Malik staring at him.

Ryou didn’t know how to begin, though. Telling Malik everything at once would take too long. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get through the whole thing without having another panic attack.

“His breath was cold,” Ryou started again, his voice monotone as he tried to disconnect himself from his memories. “He wouldn’t stop talking. It was cold in that room.”

Ryou glanced over at Malik, finding that he was still looking down at the bed. He was listening, though, Ryou could tell. His eyes were focused. Malik was probably trying to imagine what it was like. Ryou wished he wouldn’t.

“He wore gloves. He put them on every time and talked while he did. Then he tied his hair back. He didn’t like to get blood on himself.”

Ryou felt sick. He could still smell the room, the blood, the mint. It all morphed together to form a musky, coppery combination. Ryou looked down at his left hand, squinting with uncertainty as he recalled the flashback he’d just experienced.

“He didn’t even hesitate. He knew what he was doing and I think that was what was the most terrifying. The look in his eyes was… He was excited. No matter what I did, if I resisted, if I screamed, he got more and more excited.”

Ryou sighed, turning away from Malik.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I-I just didn’t get a lot of sleep yesterday and I think it made everything worse,” He frowned deeply, feeling his throat tighten. “I wanted to, though. I wanted to kiss you—Fuck, I _still_ do. I just can’t get him out of my head! I—”

“Ryou, it’s okay,” Malik quickly interrupted, for Ryou was talking fast and looking like he was going to panic again.

Malik stood up to cross over to the other side of the bed, meeting Ryou face to face. He kneeled down on the floor, gently grabbing a hold of Ryou’s right hand. He held it with both hands, looking up at Ryou even though Ryou wasn’t quite looking back at him.

“It’s okay,” He said again, his voice soft and warm. “I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry that you went through what you did. I am always going to be here for you. Whether we’re kissing or not, I’m going to be here when you need me.”

Malik smiled when Ryou started to smile a little, too.

“I know. I should have known better than to think I could get rid of you so easily,” Ryou teased, though his voice was weak.

Malik let a puff of air out through his nose in place of a chuckle, their hands squeezing each other lightly.

“You’re right,” Malik replied, standing up while still holding Ryou’s hand. “Now, do you need anything? You should drink some water and then get some rest. I can stay, too, if you’d like.”

Ryou found he couldn’t pass the opportunity to spend more time with Malik.

“Yeah. Water would be good. You staying would also be good, but you don’t have to. You have to take care of yourself, too.”

Malik nodded his head as he brought Ryou’s hand up to gently kiss the top of it.

“Don’t worry. I’m taking care of myself.”

Ryou smiled as he watched Malik walk away, leaving his bedroom to retrieve the water. When he was out of sight, Ryou’s smile fell almost instantly.

Ryou could still feel his irregular heartbeat, wondering if maybe he should see a doctor about it at this point. It seemed it was becoming rare to have his heart beat at a normal rate. 

That wasn’t really what bothered him, though. What upset him was the fact that Malik had witnessed him be something he didn’t recognize. Ryou knew he shouldn’t be, but he was embarrassed. Ashamed.

He could actually recall Malik speaking to him, but everything was blurry. The only moments he truly remembered was leaving Malik’s car and sitting on the floor. Ryou was curious about what happened, but he figured ignorance might be beneficial in this situation.

On top of that, Ryou was disappointed. The night was going so well. They had been talking, laughing, and just enjoying each other’s company. Ryou just wanted to kiss him. He’d wanted to for such a long time, and when the moment finally came, of course Bakura had to take it away from him.

Malik deserved so much better. He didn’t deserve to have to keep taking care of Ryou. He didn’t deserve to be left in that car without an explanation, only to come up to find Ryou shaking on the floor. What kind of a relationship was that?

Ryou wanted to set his pride aside. He wanted to believe Malik so badly that everything was okay, that he would always be there, but another part of him didn’t want to burden his friend like that.

His stubbornness wanted to take care of it himself. He could handle it. It was only a few times now. Soon, he would be able to find Bakura, and everything would be better once Bakura was taken care of.

Right?

Malik returned with water and Ryou took his time sipping. When he was done, he lay back down in his bed, Malik joining him haphazardly.

Ryou was feeling himself calm down, his exhaustion taking over and urging his body to fall asleep. He was comforted by the warmth Malik’s body heat gave off, but just before he dozed off, he felt it leave.

Malik slowly slid off the bed and tip toed out of the room. Ryou pretended not to notice, but when Malik left the room, he opened his eyes, spotting the bathroom door open and close.

Ryou didn’t think much of it and closed his eyes again, but hearing Malik’s voice made his ears perk up.

“Hello? No, yeah. He’s okay now. I’m going to spend the night here.”

It was quiet a moment, then Malik spoke again.

“I don’t know. It was worse. He was shaking and screaming, saying things that didn’t really make sense. I…” his voice cracked and he lowered his volume, “Isis I was so scared. I-I had a mint and I didn’t know that—I couldn’t have known, but I just… I did that to him…”

Ryou squinted, the sound of Malik’s voice becoming painful to hear, yet he still strained to listen more.

“I know, I know. I just hate watching him go through that. I hate that he has to live like this. I want to help him. I want him to know I’m trying, but you know if he found out, he’d never forgive me. I can’t do that to him.”

Malik said something else after that, but Ryou stopped listening. He felt he heard enough, and maybe even a little too much. He was too tired to put much thought into it, though.

No, Ryou just wanted to go to sleep.

When he heard Malik leave the bathroom, Ryou closed his eyes again, slowing his breathing to make it seem as though he’d been sleeping.

Malik carefully climbed onto the bed, sinking himself into the blankets. Ryou had his back turned to him, but he could still feel the other’s gaze staring at him.

Slowly, Malik reached forward and gently stroked some strands of Ryou’s hair back behind his ear. Ryou didn’t flinch, for Malik was slow enough that Ryou could feel him move closer. His hand radiated heat. Ryou felt his face grow warm.

He heard Malik sigh, feeling him shift away. Ryou didn’t want him to, though. As upset as he was that they were both keeping secrets, Ryou just wanted to be close to Malik.

Ryou turned over, reaching an arm out to drape it over Malik. They both shifted to get more comfortable, Ryou resting his head on Malik’s shoulder while Malik let the arm closest to Ryou support his head. His fingers gently combed through Ryou’s hair.

Ryou took a deep breath, allowing himself to relax into Malik. Eventually, they both fell asleep, their heads resting one on top of the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like :-)
> 
> I still can't believe there are so many of you reading this, lol. It makes me happy that even just a few of you are enjoying this silly little story as much as I am :-) <333

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like :-)


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